One Voice for Public Policy - Minnesota's 2023 Legislative Session: Counting the Cost
As people who are citizens of this state and also followers of Jesus, one of our primary duties is to recognize the divinely instituted nature of government. As such, we regularly ask God to guide and bless those in elected office, that they might act in God-pleasing ways for the common good. We do this regardless of our personal evaluation of their degree of success in achieving that goal and we will continue to do so.
That calling to honor government and those who hold office does not, however, diminish our equally important calling to show love for our neighbor by using our status as citizen to point out instances where government action, in our view, using Scriptural standards, does not serve the common good, but is, in fact, destructive of it.
Acting with that Gospel-centered motive, then, one can only describe the work of the Minnesota State government in its 2023 Legislative Session as falling far short of that standard. Indeed, one could fairly describe it collectively as an affront to civility, common decency, and the Judeo-Christian values on which our state was founded. That is, the DFL majorities in the Senate (with a one vote majority) and House, acting together with Governor Walz, have enacted a staggering number of legal and policy changes that will transform Minnesota into a radically different and much coarser place in which to live. Abandoning any pretense of bipartisanship, raw power politics was on full display, unmatched in modern Minnesota history. Indeed, from beginning to end, it was so sweeping that one struggles for words to adequately describe it. And so, I will simply list the most egregious examples of what appears to be a state government acting with reckless abandon and with a radically altered moral compass from times past.
1) The Protecting Reproductive Options Act (PRO Act): This establishes abortion as a "fundamental right" through all nine months of pregnancy, with no definition of "fundamental right" given. Going far beyond Roe v. Wade, it opens the door to the sterilization of children and prevents cities and other local units of government from regulating mobile abortion “clinics” which might want to operate in their community.
2) The Born Alive Infant Protection Act which previously provided protection for infants who survived an abortion procedure was gutted as were any reporting requirements regarding such events. (In 2021 alone, there were 5 such instances in Minnesota.)
3) Pregnancy Resource Centers were stripped of state funding, with that same funding directed, instead, to abortion-providing organizations.
4) Nearly all reporting requirements for abortion facilities were removed.
5) An existing law requiring that abortions be performed only by physicians was repealed.
6) An existing law requiring 2nd and 3rd trimester abortion be performed in a hospital was repealed.
7) An existing law requiring informed consent before an abortion could be performed was repealed, as well as a requirement to give women basic information about their developing child prior to abortion (Woman’s Right to Know).
8) Minnesota now pledges to “protect women” who travel to Minnesota for an abortion from states which have laws protecting an unborn child from abortion.
9) Minnesota has now expanded medical assistance and Minnesota Care to include abortion paid for by taxpayers.
10) Minnesota now pledges to protect abortionists from other states who are being prosecuted for violation of that other state’s abortion laws and pledges to grant a Minnesota State Medical License to doctors who have lost their license in other states due to abortion-related violations.
11) Minnesota will now act as a “refuge” for children seeking sex changes. This includes the State of Minnesota taking temporary legal custody of any child physically within Minnesota, but a legal resident of another state whose parents will not give permission for such treatment.
12) The “Take Pride Act” will prohibit any non-profit organization who serves minors from considering the gender identity of potential employees in the hiring process.
13) Minnesota will now restrict the free speech of all licensed therapists, preventing them from offering help to minors who desire help in reducing same-sex attraction. The penalty for such forbidden speech is the loss of their state license. No such restrictions apply for those who might want to move in the opposite direction.
14) In what seems to be a clear violation of basic standards of justice, Minnesota will now create a new database of all “hate offenses” as reported by anyone from the general public. There is no definition of what a “hate offense” is, nor is there any verification mechanism to determine whether such an incident actually occurred. There is no explicit guarantee that the names of specific people will not be included in this database.
15) The State of Minnesota has now legalized the recreational use of marijuana.
16) The State of Minnesota increased spending on K-12 public education by 10.2% while, once again, refusing to provide funding (Education Savings Accounts) in support of parents who desire to home school or send their children to a private or parochial school.
17) In a direct attack on Christianity and other faiths, AND overturning decades of precedent, legislation was passed forbidding high school students from using their PSEO benefits at colleges or universities with a creedal statement requirement.
These examples are limited to the topics in which the LCMS takes an active interest. No doubt individual Christians will find other actions of the legislature and/or the governor equally concerning (click here for a complete list).
Also of concern is the degree to which these radical pieces of legislation have been largely ignored or significantly distorted by the mainstream media such that most Minnesotans are unaware of the magnitude and extremity of the changes being enacted. With that in mind, I would urge you not to limit yourself to mainstream media sources, but to actively consult a wide variety of sources. Following are some outlets I have found to be both accurate and timely:
Alpha News (focuses on news from Minnesota)
Please Note: The above sources are sponsored by a variety of organizations that are not necessarily in alignment with the LCMS theologically and which also deal with topics on which the LCMS does not take a position.
In conclusion, first, let me simply urge you to be in prayer for our state and nation, asking God to guide those in positions of influence that they might act in God-pleasing ways which serve the common good. Secondly, let me urge you again, motivated by a Gospel-centered love of neighbor, to be good and active stewards of your citizenship, helping, as God gives you opportunity, to advance the welfare of our state and nation.
Though many of these developments are distressing, we place our trust “not in princes” but in God’s abundant grace and mercy, confident that He can, and will ultimately, use all these things to bring about a good end.
If you have questions, please feel free to contact me.
In Christ,
Rev. Fredric Hinz
fred.hinz@mnsdistrict.org
507-317-9634
Public Policy Advocate
Minnesota South and North Districts
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
