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Stories tagged with “Minnesota”

Health

Minnesota Senator Who Sponsored Vetoed Anti-Abortion Pill Bill Calls Viagra A ‘Drug For Life’

By Amanda Peterson Beadle on May 1, 2012 at 5:10 pm

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton (D) has vetoed an anti-abortion bill that would have required a doctor to be present for a woman to take the abortion-inducing drug RU-486, effectively banning “tele-med” abortions and disproportionately affecting women in rural communities. Dayton wrote in his veto letter that patient safety should always be a concern, but “a veto is warranted on legislation because it is driven by a specific political ideology rather than a broad-based concern for protecting all patients.”

Indeed, during debate about the legislation, a Democratic state senator asked why RU-486 should be regulated instead of erectile dysfunction medication. Sen. Paul Gazelka (R), the bill’s sponsor, said Viagra is a “wonderful drug” that “helps create life.” RH Reality Check’s Robin Marty asked Gazelka to clarify his comments about Viagra, and he said in response:

comparing Viagra to RU-486 was comparing apples and oranges or more like comparing life and death. Viagra is a wonderful medical advancement in that can help couples with sexual disfunction issues…it can even help in producing life. RU486 always destroys life by taking the life of the unborn child.

Gazelka did not respond to Marty’s questions about whether he would sponsor a bill to collect information about men who are prescribed Viagra, similar to “databases created in various other states to gather information on women who obtain abortions.”

Gazelka’s bill and his ensuing comments about Viagra highlight the unfair burden placed on women who seek abortions and related health care. State regulations continue to add additional hurdles women must overcome to access abortions and contraception, while no similar measures block the availably of Viagra for men.

LGBT

Obama Campaign Opposes Minnesota’s Marriage Discrimination Amendment

By Zack Ford on Apr 9, 2012 at 2:10 pm

President Obama’s campaign in Minnesota has issued a statement opposing the state’s proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage:

“While the President does not weigh in on every single ballot measure in every state, the record is clear that the President has long opposed divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same sex couples,” said Kristen Sosanie, spokeswoman for the Obama for America – Minnesota campaign. “That’s what the Minnesota ballot initiative would do – it would single out and discriminate against committed gay and lesbian couples – and that’s why the President does not support it.”

The Obama campaign offered the same statement in opposition to North Carolina’s Amendment One, and the Catholic bishops responded that his position was “a grave disappointment.” Though the President’s position on same-sex marriage is still “evolving,” he opposes state-level attempts to discriminate against same-sex couples.

NEWS FLASH

Federal Judge Rules That Transgender Identities Do Not Invalidate Marriages | A federal judge in Minnesota has ruled that a union health insurance company was wrong to deny spousal insurance to an employee’s wife simply because she is transgender. Even though Minnesota law recognized their relationship as a man-woman marriage, the Miscellaneous Drivers and Helpers Union Local #638 Health, Welfare, Eye, and Dental Fund argued that Christine and Calvin Radtke did not deserve access to the health benefits and even filed a counterclaim alleging they had knowingly committed fraud. U.S. Chief Judge Michael J. Davis found for the Radtkes and lectured the health plan administrators that “it was not the Fund’s role to impose its own definitions of gender and marriage upon its participants,” calling their action “a flagrant violation of its duty” and an “unreasonable and wrong” interpretation of Minnesota law.

NEWS FLASH

Minnesota Senate Republicans Approve Voter Suppression Constitutional Amendment | Friday Minnesota Senate followed their House counterparts and passed a proposed amendment to the state constitution to add a strict photo identification requirement for all Minnesotans trying to vote. Senate Democrats noted that the measure will be a regression for voting rights, will likely disenfranchise voters, and would do little to stop the virtually non-existent problem of voter fraud. The House and Senate versions were slightly different, so the proposal will still need to be reconciled before it goes before voters. If the amendment wins in a public referendum, it would likely eliminate the state’s same-day voting registration — a rule that has helped make voter participation in the North Star State among the highest in the country.

NEWS FLASH

Minnesota House Passes Voter Suppression Constitutional Amendment Proposal | The Republican-controlled Minnesota house of representatives passed a proposed photo ID measure that would require voters to show valid, government-issued identification at the polls, in a 72-62 vote, along party lines. The photo ID amendment proposal — which will likely suppress voter turnout among elderly, poor, and minority voters who may have more difficulty obtaining a valid ID — is now headed to the state senate where it is scheduled to be taken up by the rules committee on Wednesday. The amendment will go before voters on the November ballot if approved by the senate, bypassing Gov. Mark Dayton (D), who vetoed a voter photo ID bill that state lawmakers approved last year. — Fatima Najiy

By Intern on Mar 21, 2012 at 11:45 am

Justice

Minnesota Officials Propose Third Way On Voter ID That Prevents Fraud Without Disenfranchising Voters

By Scott Keyes on Mar 10, 2012 at 9:00 am

Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and Gov. Mark Dayton

The debate over voting rights, which sprung up again with force last year, comes down to a simple issue in the end: access versus integrity. Progressives want to ensure that everyone, regardless of race or wealth, has equal access to the ballot box, while conservatives are preoccupied with preventing voter fraud, whatever the cost. This dynamic played out in dozens of legislatures last year as states used the (spurious) prospect of voter fraud to justify major new restrictions on the right to vote, from voter ID bills to registration restrictions to cuts in early voting.

Now, two Minnesota officials are putting forth a proposal that could break this deadlock by allaying conservative fears over voter fraud while also ensuring that no eligible voters are disenfranchised.

Currently, the Republican-controlled Minnesota legislature is advancing a bill to enact voter ID restrictions in the North Star State. Gov. Mark Dayton (D) and Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, who oppose the measure, are proposing an alternative that could prevent fraud without denying Minnesotans the right to vote. Here’s how it would work:

With an electronic “poll book,” eligible voters who have lost an ID or no longer carry one could come to the polling place and have their electronic information pulled up from state records, Ritchie said.

He said about 84,000 Minnesota voters don’t carry photo ID, but in many cases, they would have photos in the state drivers’ database. For those who don’t, another ID could be scanned in or a photo could be taken at the polling place.

“We would not be disenfranchising anybody and we would not be breaking the bank,” Ritchie said.

Republican reaction to this proposal will be interesting to watch. If their real concern is, in fact, preventing voter fraud, then expect Minnesota GOPers to jump on board with this plan, which uses the electronic “poll book” to ensure that every voter is indeed who they claim to be. However, if their real concern is disenfranchising voters who lean Democratic, their opposition to this proposal will be no surprise.

State Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer (R) gave a hint about the Republican response on Thursday. Kiffmeyer, who’s sponsoring the state’s voter ID bill, said she did not think Dayton and Ritchie’s proposal goes far enough and would press forward to enact voter ID.

NEWS FLASH

Minnesota Campaign Finance To Investigate Anti-Gay Groups Pushing Marriage Amendment | Minnesota’s Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board has launched an investigation into groups heavily involved in promoting a proposed constitutional amendment to outlaw marriage equality in Minnesota. The coalition pushing for the amendment, Minnesota for Marriage, and one of its strongest arms, the Minnesota Family Council, are under investigation for failure to disclose the names of donors whose contributions totaled hundreds of thousands of dollars. In early February, ThinkProgress noted a discrepancy in the groups’ tax filings. Minnesotans are nearly evenly split on the amendment, which will be on the ballot in November of this year.

Economy

Occupiers Help Minneapolis Woman Stave Off Freddie Mac Foreclosure Proceedings

By Travis Waldron on Mar 5, 2012 at 6:15 pm

Occupy Homes MN and a coalition of faith leaders and community organizations are claiming a small victory in Minneapolis today after helping local resident Monique White stay in her home, despite attempts from Freddie Mac and U.S. Bank to evict her during foreclosure proceedings. Freddie Mac had previously defied the state attorney general’s order to halt foreclosure proceedings and pursued an eviction, which would have taken place today.

But after a meeting between White’s attorneys, local officials, and Freddie Mac representatives, a hearing on the foreclosure has been moved to Friday, according to a press release from Occupy Our Homes MN.

White, like millions of American homeowners, fell behind on her mortgage and had applied for a loan modification with U.S. Bank, the original servicer of her loan. The modification was denied, however, and Freddie Mac took control of the loan and initiated court proceedings to foreclose on the home. Occupy Homes MN, the attorney general’s office, and White’s attorneys are now investigating the case to see if White’s mortgage and modification applications were mishandled by either U.S. Bank or Freddie Mac, a spokesperson for Occupy Homes MN told ThinkProgress.

“We’re looking to find evidence of mishandling of the foreclosure practices by Freddie Mac or U.S. Bank,” the spokesperson, Anthony Newby, said. “We believe they did not negotiate in good faith. It’s unclear why she was turned down (for the modification), when she was turned down. All of that is up in the air.”

According to Newby, White currently works two retail jobs and lives with a relative who is also willing to make payments toward the mortgage if it gets a modification. White has lived in the house in north Minneapolis since 2003, but sought the modification after losing an earlier job as a counselor helping troubled teens.

Her case has also received support from Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), who represents the district in which she lives. Citing privacy reasons, Ellison’s office declined to comment on action he had taken on behalf of White, but he released a statement today, saying, “I encourage US Bank and Freddie Mac to act in good faith and negotiate a solution that works well for all parties and allows Monique and her children to keep their home.”

North Minneapolis is among the worst hit areas in the state for foreclosures. According to Newby, 56 percent of North Minneapolis homes are facing foreclosure, and 40 percent of the Minneapolis’s foreclosures occurred there. White, who is black, is also facing a dilemma many minority homeowners have faced. According to a report by the Center on Responsible Lending, black and Latino homeowners were twice as likely to have been affected by the housing crisis as white borrowers.

NEWS FLASH

Groups Pushing For Minnesota’s Inequality Amendment Have Ties To Ex-Gay Movement | Several of the anti-gay organizations building support for Minnesota’s proposed constitutional amendment to outlaw same-sex marriage are also espousing ex-gay therapy and the belief that being gay is a choice that can change, the American Independent’s Andy Birkey reports. One group raising money for the measure — the Pro-Marriage Amendment Forum — is co-founded by a self-identified former gay man who believes that gay people recruit children into homosexuality and that “men become ‘homosexual’ because they have strong mothers and no father figure.” Similarly, the broader coalition — Minnesota for Marriage — includes organizations like Minnesota Catholic Conference and the Minnesota Family Council, both of which have dabbled in discredited ex-gay therapy.

LGBT

Anoka-Hennepin Superintendent Confirms Role Of Bullying In Suicides

By Zack Ford on Feb 24, 2012 at 1:45 pm

Anoka-Hennepin Superintendent Dennis Carlson (AP Photo/Dawn Villella)

As recently as three weeks ago, the superintendent of Anoka-Hennepin School District, Dennis Carlson, was still denying that bullying or the school’s anti-LGBT environment had anything to do with the multiple student suicides that took place over the past few years. Now that the district has finally implemented a policy that will  allow teachers to respect and affirm LGBT students, he seems to be singing a different tune. In a letter just published on the district’s webpage, Carlson reverses statements made in a 2010 voicemail, admitting that bullying is a serious problem that has had an impact on Anoka-Hennepin:

Although no one can ever be absolutely certain of the specific event that leads to a student’s suicide, there can be no doubt that in many situations bullying is one of the contributing factors. Gay students are especially vulnerable to anti-gay bullying and so are other students that are unique in some way that leads to verbal attacks by students.[...]

My daily commitment is always to protect and ensure the safety of each of our students, especially those who have felt marginalized in the past. It is a fundamental understanding of educators that students cannot learn if they do not feel safe, welcomed and affirmed in their school. Every Anoka-Hennepin school must provide that kind of safe environment for ALL students who walk through our doors – each and every day.

The concession is refreshing, but perhaps too little too late. Though a better policy is now in place, the district still faces a lawsuit filed by students claiming officials did not appropriately intervene with bullying as well as a federal civil rights investigation. And the new policy isn’t going to instantly transform the district into a welcoming environment for LGBT students. Carlson seems to have figured out how to talk the talk, so now it is time for his leadership as superintendent to walk the walk.

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