Vice President Kamala Harris announced on Tuesday that she selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) to be her running mate.
Walz, a far-left governor, self-identifies as a “Minnesota Lutheran,” though he rarely discusses his faith publicly, according to the Religion News Service. Walz, moreover, refers to Pilgrim Lutheran Church in St. Paul as “my parish.” That church is a congregation in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, one of the most progressive and liberal Christian denominations in the United States.
‘The Harris-Walz ticket is the most radical on abortion and gender ideology in American history.’
But what should Christians know about his policy positions and record as governor of Minnesota?
1. Abortion
Walz is unabashedly pro-abortion, in both rhetoric and policy.
For example, two bills that Walz signed into law last year make Minnesota one of the most pro-abortion states in America.
The first bill, the Protect Reproductive Options Act, codified into Minnesota law a “fundamental right … to obtain an abortion.” The bill imposes no limits on abortion. Minnesota, in fact, is one of just seven states (and Washington, D.C.) that imposes no legal gestational limit on abortions. The second bill, Minnesota Senate Bill 2995, essentially eliminated “nearly all the protective and modestly pro-life features of existing Minnesota law,” according to National Review.
“Abortion is health care,” Walz said earlier this year.
If you combine Walz’s radical pro-abortion views and record with Harris’, then you generate “the most pro-abortion presidential ticket America has ever seen,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America.
2. LGBTQ agenda
Not only does Walz support the LGBTQ agenda, but he has turned Minnesota into a “trans refuge.”
Last year, Walz signed a bill — the so-called “Trans Refuge” Act — and an executive order protecting so-called “gender-affirming” procedures for children while prohibiting legal action against people who travel to Minnesota for so-called “gender-affirming” care.
Walz has also banned “conversion therapy.”
There is, of course, also the law that requires period products to “be available to all menstruating students in restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 to 12.” This means that boys’ bathrooms in Minnesota schools do make available pads and tampons.
Walz, moreover, is described by his critics as “anti-parent.”
Walz’s record on issues related to the LGBTQ agenda has earned him high praise from GLAAD, which released a statement on Tuesday celebrating his “proven record” on these issues.
3. COVID pandemic and religious freedom
Walz, like many other Democratic governors, instituted harsh restrictions on residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Walz took heat from Christians during the pandemic for enacting policies they argued were religiously discriminatory. Case in point: In May 2020, Walz signed an executive order allowing retail shops to re-open at 50% capacity — while still prohibiting in-person religious gatherings to 10 people.
After pushback from Catholic and Lutherans — who promised to buck Walz’s restrictions — Walz allowed churches to re-open at 25% capacity.
“Governor Walz, a former teacher, gets an F in religious liberties,” said Erick Kaardal, special counsel at the Thomas More Society.
Levi Secord, pastor of Christ Bible Church in Minnesota, added of Walz’s record on religious freedom:
Walz and Democrats in Minnesota sought to coerce religious institutions to hire against their sincerely held beliefs. Democrats enacted a change to employment law that would have forced religious institutions, including churches, to hire against their beliefs about sexuality and gender. Thanks to a groundswell of opposition from local churches, this was eventually reversed. Sadly, under a new proposed amendment, Walz’s party is trying again to undermine religious liberty.
Earlier this year, however, Walz did sign a law that clarified religious protections under the state’s Human Rights Act.
“Governor Tim Walz is a radical progressive,” said Dr. Andrew Walker, a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
“There’s no way to downplay the fact of this. He’s aggressively pushed some of the most pro-trans and anti-religious liberty policies in the United States,” Walker explained. “Don’t take the bait on the grandfatherly Midwest persona. Christians, please be clear-eyed about the anti-human agenda on the Democratic ticket.”
The Minnesota Family Counsel explained, “The Harris-Walz ticket is the most radical on abortion and gender ideology in American history.”
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