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North Dakota judge strikes down state’s abortion ban
A University of Minnesota Law Professor cited two main arguments in his judgment summary.
MINNEAPOLIS — North Dakota’s abortion ruling has been felt in Minnesota. Once again, abortion is legal in the state after a district court judge struck down the state’s abortion ban.
North Dakota State Director for Gender Justice Christina Sambor said her organization was co-counsel on the lawsuit.
“It can be hard to be in a place that feels really one-sided sometimes in how we discuss some of these issues, and so to see a really thorough legal analysis like this and to really point out how much it is really out of sync with the rights that are guaranteed to citizens in North Dakota. It’s a really great day,” she said.
Cathy Blaeser, co-executive director at Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, doesn’t feel the same way.
“There’s no protection for unborn children at any point of gestational age at any point in the pregnancy. And so, they’re just abandoned. They’re abandoned to a profit-seeking abortion industry that only wants to take their money and take your child,” Blaeser said.
University of Minnesota Law Professor Jill Hasday said the judge cited two main arguments in his judgement.
“The basic idea there is the state can’t pass a law that is so unclear people don’t have enough of a sense of whether they violated it or not,” she said. “The first argument is that it’s void for void for vagueness because doctors are not able to rely on these exceptions because there is always a chance they’ll be second-guessed later. And then the second argument is that the North Dakota Constitution guarantees women like all North Dakotans a right to life, liberty and happiness, and this gives women a basic right to just have autonomy over themselves.”
Hasday said it’s highly likely the ruling will get appealed, but it won’t appear in federal court.
“One thing to know is that state courts are the ultimate interpreter of what a state constitution means, so this wouldn’t be appealable to a federal court,” Hasday said.
She said this call will go to the North Dakota Supreme Court.
Blaeser hopes it will make its way to the state’s high court because she doesn’t want to see North Dakota turn into Minnesota.
“It is just a sad day for North Dakota. They have done so much to try and protect women, to try and protect unborn children… from profit seeking abortion facilities, profit seeking abortion providers who really only want to provide an abortion to a woman,” she said.
Sambor said if it gets appealed that will easily add another year of litigation, but she’s hopeful the outcome will be in her favor if it goes that far.
“This ruling means that doctors are free to practice the standard of care and give your loved one’s emergency medical care when they need it and not to delay,” she said. “I think it’s just so important that people not feel like their basic rights are impossible to defend because of where they live.”
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Bloomington’s fourth annual pride celebration will be held this Sunday, and it comes shortly after organizers announced upcoming changes to their planning and financial structures.
Anita Smithson is chair of Bloomington’s Human Rights Commission and a proud member of the city’s LGBTQ+ community,
“I am bisexual,” Smithson said. “I’m married to a man, so I have like a straight passing relationship, which makes it sometimes interesting. Most folks probably view me as an ally until they get to know that.”
She’s also one of five residents serving as a Pride board member. A team of five has always planned the festival, though participation has varied year-to-year. Smithson, however, has served every year and is the group’s communications director.
“All of those are volunteer roles,” she explained. “Many of those folks who are with us for the first festivals are with us as day-of volunteers, they just may not have the capacity to help with the year-round nonprofit organization.”
Bloomington’s inaugural Pride was only three years ago, in 2021. The city and its Human Rights Commission sponsored it.
“Our first event was relatively small but had significant protests at it,” Smithson recalled. “Same with our second annual event.”
This and last year, they turned to the Twin Cities Pride for help, as that nonprofit’s Minneapolis festivities have been around 52 years.
“I just want to thank Andi Otto and the team at Twin Cities Pride,” Smithson said. “They have been tremendous mentors and partners for us.”
Smithson says, thanks to that mentorship, her small group has been able to make a big move.
“Yes, Bloomington Pride MN is now an official nonprofit,” she said.
It happened just last week, with Larkin Hoffman law firm filing the paperwork pro bono. While the nonprofit still plans to partner with Twin Cities Pride, Bloomington Pride MN will solely be responsible for the event moving forward – beginning with 2025 festivities. This involves scaling back the city’s financial contributions.
District III council member Lona Dallessandro is Bloomington’s first openly gay elected council member.
“A city-run event comes with a lot of baggage, if you will … taxpayer dollars and all that kind of thing, to just not knowing for sure if the community is really behind because it almost feels obligatory,” Dallessandro said, “and so what we really like about this program and the fact that they built a nonprofit is that … people are funding this work, they’re supporting this work, they’re volunteering for this work.”
While Pride is widely celebrated in June, Bloomington Pride will be this Sunday, Sept. 22 from 4 to 7 p.m. outside Bloomington Civic Plaza, where it has been held in previous years. The building is connected to Bloomington Police and City Hall.
“Queer people are part of the fabric of Bloomington,” Dallessandro said. “There’s also National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11. Whether you’re celebrating in June or you’re celebrating in October or somewhere in between, there’s never a down time to get your rainbow on as far as I’m concerned.”
“It does help stretch it out and shows that Pride is all year long,” Smithson also said. “I love Twin Cities Pride. I love going to the festival. I love going to the parade. And also, our festival is a little smaller, a little bit more approachable, and a little bit more unique to Bloomington.”
Community organizations, businesses and places of worship have shown support for Pride over the years.
“We have a great group of local churches that have formed a loose organization of their own called Lutherans For Love, who want to show that there’s a place in the church community for queer people and for the LGBT Plus community,” Smithson said. “We have local show choir students from one of the high schools in Bloomington who always wanna come and perform and are excited to be part of the festival.”
She also mentioned working with Hennepin County Library and Bloomington Oasis for Youth. This year, Kennedy High School Choirs, Boogie Wonderland Band, Artistry MN and the Power Drag Revue are set to perform. Food trucks and vendors will also be on site.
Leaders are hoping the new pricing model will bring more transparency for incoming students and their parents.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — You have likely heard the phrase ‘that’s how the game is played’ a time or two in your life. Well, in the world of private universities, high sticker prices and deep discounts are how the game is played.
“We decided to bring that down and quit playing the game,” Bethel University President Ross Allen said.
Starting in the Fall of 2025 the cost of tuition at Bethel University will be lowered to $25,990 a year, down from the current sticker price of $44,050.
Allen said the current sticker price is inflated by scholarships and discounts, so the tuition reduction next year will be less significant than most people realize.
“The new net price will be very close to what it was before,” Allen said. “The focus of this change is to really solve the lack of transparency with pricing.”
Allen said this trend of high prices and deep discounts started decades ago as a way for universities to charge higher-earning families more and lower-earning families less.
However, Allen argues the discounts are now out of control and some students don’t understand the price they pay is significantly lower than the advertised sticker price.
“There is just so much frustration from parents about the confusion and the complexity. What is the real price? There is a lack of transparency, and we decided to respond to that and just be clear,” Allen explained.
The National Association of College and University Business Officers released a study in May that showed the average tuition discount at private universities nationwide was around 56%.
Chris Wills from College Inside Track said that the discount rate means the actual price students pay is less than half of what universities advertise.
“For the average American family this system is impossible to understand,” Wills said. “What Bethel and others are doing is just being more transparent upfront about what the price actually is.”
Wills said the old pricing model was built around psychology and consumer behavior.
“The philosophy was that when something costs more people think it’s better, they value it more, and so people bought into that idea,” Wills explained. “People also really liked the idea of receiving large scholarships to go to school. It’s really fun for a parent to be able to tell your neighbors that your kid got a $20,000 scholarship.”
However, in recent years many private universities have seen lower enrollment as more students are debating whether a college degree is worth the investment.
Wills said a growing number of private universities are deciding to lower their advertised sticker price to be more competitive with public universities.
“Schools have to be doing what Bethel is doing to try and stay relevant in that environment, because it’s going to be very difficult for all the schools that we have to keep their doors open if they don’t make some changes,” Wills said.
Dr. Rebecca Cunningham officially took office as the university’s 18th president on July 1.
MINNEAPOLIS — The 18th president of the University of Minnesota will officially be introduced in her position Wednesday during a day of inaugural events across campus.
The school released a statement on the eve of Dr. Rebecca Cunningham’s ceremonial inauguration detailing the day’s activities and highlighting Cunningham’s professional achievements.
Cunningham, the school’s 18th executive leader, officially stepped into the president’s office on July 1.
In its statement, the school said, “Addressing the world’s most pressing health challenges is something the U of M and Cunningham have in common,” sharing that Cunningham has decades of leadership experience in academic and medical fields.
According to the U, the day will begin with events that include honoring the school’s “history and traditions” and looking “ahead to the future under Cunningham’s leadership.”
Cunningham will take the Northrop stage at 3 p.m., where she’ll deliver her inaugural address. The school said the celebration will spread to the broader campus community around 4:30 p.m., featuring live entertainment, food and outdoor activities along the Northrop Mall.
The university said Cunningham will also moderate a panel discussion Wednesday morning about how public research universities affect societal and environmental health challenges.
For more info about the day’s festivities, visit the University of Minnesota’s website.
