The Family Beacon — Minnesota Family Council

The Family Beacon

Proposed Social Studies Standards: Minnesota Students and Families Deserve Better

Guest User

Under state law, Minnesota’s social study standards are updated every ten years, going through a process of drafting, public comment, and review before being implemented in schools. The first draft of proposed updates to Minnesota’s social studies standards was released in late 2020 and immediately drew public response for its glaring omissions of key moments in U.S., Minnesota, and world history. Subsequent drafts have shown slight improvement in standards for history — for instance, including the Holocaust, which was completely omitted from the first draft — but have continued to add benchmarks that introduce critical race theory to Minnesota’s classrooms through the addition of “Ethnic studies” requirements.

These standards are part of a broader effort from the Walz administration to push critical theory on Minnesota’s students. Earlier this year, the administration attempted to mandate ethnic studies in all schools, including private schools and home schools.

Currently the Minnesota Department of Education is reviewing public comments on the proposed final version of the social studies standards and is drafting a Statement of Need and Reasonableness (SONAR) which will be made available to the public. At that point there will be opportunity for public comment before the standards are reviewed and adopted.

California Governor Touts $10 Million Pro-Abortion Ad Campaign

Luke Mueller

Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, pro-abortion activists have stepped up digital and billboard campaigns to normalize abortion. In Minnesota, billboards plaster highways with messages like “abortion is still legal in Minnesota” and “it is still your right” (although, actually, it never has been). In other states, billboards claim that “Texas doesn’t own your body.” They invite vulnerable women to travel to other states to have an abortion. California’s state government is the primary culprit, using taxpayer dollars to advertise the fact that their state is a safe haven for abortionists.

Earlier this week, California Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed that his campaign has spent $10 million on pro-abortion billboards in certain pro-life states. The targeted states included Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Mississippi, Ohio, and Oklahoma. Each of these states has banned abortion following the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Indiana, which has also been a target of these advertisements, banned abortion just last week.

These pro-abortion campaigns promote the murder of innocent children. They are disgraceful attempts to put a false message in front of vulnerable women.

Under the Newsom administration, Californian taxpayers are also obligated to pay for a website advertising abortion. In May, Governor Newsom announced a “Reproductive Health Package” aimed at promoting abortion in California and elsewhere. In this package, which budgeted about $200 million for abortion purposes, Newsom touted a Comprehensive Reproductive Rights website and increased infrastructure for abortion businesses.

Minnesota MOMS Seek to Defend Parental Rights Among Other State Laws

Renee Carlson


Pictured above, Renee Carlson, General Counsel of True North Legal, emcees a press conference on behalf of MOMS, Mothers Offering Maternal Support, where a group of over 50 MOMS is seeking to intervene in a significant case about abortion in Minnesota.

Constitutional expert and lawyer, Teresa Collett is serving as lead counsel in this case. Just this past summer, Ramsey County District Court Judge Thomas Gilligan, struck down nearly all abortion regulations, even laws that included bipartisan legislative support. As it stands, this decision makes Minnesota one of the most radical abortion states in the entire coutry.

If it remains law, women will no longer be provided critical information about a medical decision as significant as abortion; people other than doctors will be able to perform abortions; there will be no waiting periods required for adults or minors girls; and most significantly, the law will separate daughters from their parents at a time when she needs them most, taking away their right to be infomed of critical medical decisions like abortion -- threatening our daughters' health and safety, making them vulnerable to coercion, and also enabling sex traffickers and sexual predators to prey on our young daughters. MOMS intervention is critical, as Renee Carlson stated, "the Attorney General of Minnesota has stepped aside, so Minnesota MOMS are stepping in."

Alpha News provided comprehensive coverage of the press conference. You can watch the video and read the article here.

(Dis)respect for Marriage Act Could Gut Religious Freedom

Luke Mueller

In a recent op-ed for The Washington Post, Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) advocated for the so-called Respect for Marriage Act (RMA), a bill that would cement same-sex marriage in federal law. RMA has already passed the House with bipartisan support and could receive its final vote in the Senate as soon as Monday. Despite the high-sounding language of “respect,” in fact this bill would threaten the religious freedom of millions across the country.

Today’s RMA legislation is a response to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s comments on whether the landmark Obergefell case would be overturned in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson. While that remains very unlikely, those who support same-sex marriage are worried - worried enough to take reckless actions that could irreversibly harm religious freedom.

Supreme Court Justice Alito pointed out in his dissent on Obergefell (a landmark same-sex marriage case) that policies like RMA would “vilify Americans who are unwilling to assent to the new orthodoxy.” Certainly, we cannot allow a bill that will persecute and demonize those who maintain deep religious convictions.

The Respect for Marriage Act aims at repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996. In effect, DOMA blocked same-sex couples from receiving marriage benefits from federal and state governments. Throughout its lifespan, DOMA has been mostly nullified by Supreme Court cases such as Windsor and Obergefell. Today, activists bent on eradicating biblical sexual morès from law want to completely repeal DOMA and codify same-sex marriage in federal law.

Religious freedom is on the line. While supporters of this bill might argue otherwise, the so-called Respect for Marriage Act will become a weapon used against those with deeply-held beliefs in favor of traditional marriage. Many Americans could find themselves in a similar position to Jack Phillips, the heroic cake baker from Colorado who has been sued multiple times for breaking a “non-discrimination” ordinance for only baking cakes for traditional marriage ceremonies.

As Justice Alito wrote in his Obergefell dissent “I assume that those who cling to old beliefs will be able to whisper their thoughts in the recesses of their homes, but if they repeat those views in public, they will risk being labeled as bigots and treated as such by governments, employers, and schools.” Here as so often, Justice Alito is right. There’s a volume of evidence—such as the persecution of Jack Phillips and Baronelle Stutzman—that points to this fact. The so-called Respect for Marriage Act will not protect religious freedom.

While many Republicans voted in favor of this bill in the U.S. House, including Minnesota’s Rep. Tom Emmer, true conservatives should understand what the RMA is capable of. A bill that threatens the religious freedom of Americans with sincere religious beliefs does not belong in the United States. People of faith across the country are worried – and they have reason to be. Minnesota Family Council and other organizations continue to sound the alarm on this bill. Yet as Christians, we know that this perversion of God’s design will not flourish. As Psalm 28:5 states, “because they do not regard the works of the Lord nor the deeds of His hands, He will tear them down and not build them up.” What a beautiful assurance it is to be on the only side that matters—God’s side.

Governor Walz Claims Minnesota is Among 5 Safest States – Actually, We’re No. 27

Luke Mueller

Anyone paying attention should realize that violent and non-violent crime has seen a massive spike in our state over the last few years. This rise in crime has become a big election issue in this year’s gubernatorial race, but the incumbent governor would have you believe that it’s not that bad after all. In fact, Gov. Walz believes that Minnesota is one of the safest states in the country. Sadly for us, that’s no longer true.

In an interview with Esme Murphy of WCCO at the Minnesota State Fair, Gov. Tim Walz claimed that “there are 45 states with higher crime rates than Minnesota.” That would put Minnesota among states like New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont, which are some of the safest places in the country. If this were true, there would be no need for Governor Walz to worry about spiking crime ahead of the November election—and yet pesky voters are still making it an issue! What’s the deal?

According to David Zimmer of the Center for the American Experiment, Gov. Walz’ claim is stretching the truth more than a little bit. “No matter how you manipulate the statistics, you can’t get Minnesota into the top five or even top ten states when it comes to protecting citizens from crime,” Zimmer said in a statement.

U of M Medical Students Pledge to “Promote a Culture of Anti-Racism”

Luke Mueller

Last month, medical students at the University of Minnesota pledged to “promote a culture of anti-racism” in their inaugural white coat ceremony. In an oath written by the students and overseen by staff, the students committed to “uprooting the legacy and perpetuation of structural violence deeply embedded within the health care system.” Notably, the students did not point to any single example of racism or violence within Minnesota’s health care system.

Along with pledging to be anti-racist, the students also recognized the stolen Dakota land on which they stood. They recognized the inequities created by “colonialism and the gender binary” and pledged to “amplify voices for positive change.”

If you have been particularly good at avoiding nonsense jargon over the last few years, you may be puzzled by the term “anti-racism,” which certainly sounds like a good thing. It sounds like “non-racism,” which is a good thing. But how much difference is there between “non” and “anti!” Ibram X. Kendi, one of the leading exponents of anti-racism and Critical Race Theory, claims that being “not racist” is not enough. Instead, one had to be proactively “anti-racist,” or, as he later expounded, “the only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination.” In short, “anti-racism” is corrective racism, discriminating on the basis of race to somehow “make up” for past discrimination on the basis of race.

Minnesota Schools are Failing their Students. Change Is Needed Now.

Luke Mueller

Over the last few years, Minnesota school systems have failed students, shunned parents, and turned one of the best school systems in the country into a poorly-functioning bureaucratic nightmare, with notes of ideological indoctrination. It’s time for a change, to return the power to the parents, make schools safer, and provide real quality education. A new plan introduced this week aims to do just that.

Earlier this week, Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen revealed a ten-step plan to save Minnesota schools. In a speech at the Minnesota State Fair, Jensen claimed that schools across the state are failing their students and vowed to “stop thinking that dollars are always going to get us where we have to go.” With recent MCA (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment) results hitting a catastrophic low, immediate reform is clearly necessary.

Governor Walz’s open-wallet approach to fixing this issue has done more harm than good. Walz has funded bad policies that promote CRT and transgender ideology for minors while ignoring plummeting math and reading scores. Worst of all, though, Minnesota schools remained closed much longer than necessary during the pandemic, giving the lie to Walz’s ridiculous claim that “80% of our kids missed less than 10 days of in-class learning.” Because of Walz’s actions and the relentless support of the teacher’s union, Minnesota schools have failed their students in three primary ways.