Minnesota Update

As we forecasted last week, a pro-life majority in the Minnesota Senate has been decisively maintained, and pro-life legislators made gains in the Minnesota House. This is cause for celebration! There is talk that some Minnesota elected officials (specifically Senator Amy Klobuchar and Attorney General Keith Ellison) might be tapped to fill roles in a Joe Biden administration. We will keep you posted and keep fighting for life, family, and religious freedom in Minnesota.

National Update

Yesterday a state court in Pennsylvania ruled that provisional ballots cast by voters who did not present ID at the polls and failed to verify their ballots by the November 9th deadline could not be counted, ruling that the state did not have the authority to extend the deadline from November 9th to November 12th. This decision came in response to a challenge from the Trump campaign after the Pennsylvania Secretary of State extended the “fix-by” date by three days following a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling that extended the deadline for accepting mail-in ballots to November 6. The court ruled that Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar did not have the authority to make this decision, and as such, ballots not verified by November 9th will not be counted.

Yesterday’s ruling does not affect the roughly 10,000 ballots in Pennsylvania received after 8:00 P.M. on election day that Supreme Court Justice Alito ordered to be set aside “in a safe, secure, and sealed container separate from other voted ballots” following Pennsylvania’s court-extended deadline for accepting mail-in ballots. Former Vice President Biden currently leads in Pennsylvania by roughly 55,000 votes. In Georgia, where Biden leads with a little over 14,000 votes, election officials have begun a manual recount of all ballots cast in the presidential election.

Defending the integrity of our election system should be a priority for everyone. Voters need to be confident that the results are legitimate and that their voice was heard. Taking the time to carefully investigate the challenges and allegations brought forward ensures that the transparency, accountability, and consistency of the election process are maintained. This is true even if these steps are unlikely to change the final result - restoring Americans’ trust in our election system is crucial, whoever wins.

Share this piece at The Family Beacon

 “[T]he government cannot provide what children need specifically from a father: discipline, structure, protection,” wrote World magazine’s Tim Lamer in a recent article on the impact of fatherlessness. Drawing on US and international data, Lamer points out fatherlessness’s impact on economic disparities and high crime rates, especially in international settings, describing fatherlessness as “the worst systemic injustice in America.”

The economic impact of fatherlessness touches millions of children throughout the U.S., but the effects go far beyond economic outcomes. The Institute for Family Studies recently reported on a study from Social Service Review on the role that involved fathers play in their children’s lives. The study found that over a 10-year period, increased father involvement reduced behavioral outcomes such as aggression, depression, and delinquency by 30-50% in children who did not live with their father, and 80% in children who did live with their father. “The study shows the effects are long lasting, with a father’s earlier life presence having a significant impact on latter adolescent behavior,” wrote Brad Wilcox.

In other words, kids who are having trouble in their teens often lacked a fatherly presence earlier in their lives, not only during their teen years. Cash support—formal or informal—had little effect. It was the social engagement of the fathers that made the big difference. 

In Princeton University’s Future of Children report, Melanie Wasserman reports that less than half of the children in the U.S. today grow up with parents who are continuously married. Nearly a quarter of children in the U.S. do not have a father figure in the home. Even if the economic disparities brought about by fatherlessness were removed, fatherlessness would still be a significant loss in a child’s life. Money simply cannot replace dads. (CONTINUED . . .)

Together for Good, a Christian nonprofit in the Twin Cities that comes alongside children and parents experiencing crisis, is hosting its first virtual fundraising event on Saturday, November 14. 

Register for free here and email [email protected] for more information!