Letters to the Editor | January 18th, 2023
Dear Editor,
The North Dakota legislative session has started to pick up. Many of the bills that have come before the committees are just cleaning up some language; others that are yet to come are troubling.
The bills that I am currently the most concerned about are as follows.
Senate Bill 2150 is meant to clean up and merge the language from multiple other statutes and counter the trigger ban currently in the court system. The new bill is the lesser of two evils; however, it is still a total ban on abortion in the state. They have carved out some exceptions in cases of rape and incest, but the time frame is too short to be effective.
They have removed the affirmative defense part of the bill that will protect doctors from prosecution and allow them to perform their job in emergency situations. However, there are holes in the bill regarding fetal defects forcing individuals to carry the baby to full term regardless of the likelihood of viability. I am against the bill in its current form because it still leaves personal autonomy out of the decision-making process. The bill will also make it more difficult to attract and retain medical professionals.
Senate Bill 2199 redefined gender as what is determined at birth and can’t be changed in the future. This bill is based on old fashion gender ideals that science is challenging every day. North Dakotans will be harmed by adding discrimination into its laws. We are struggling to attract talented individuals to the state and making it unwelcoming to a segment of society is a bad business decision.
Senate Bill 2123 is an attempt to censor books that discuss any form of sexuality that can be displayed in schools, libraries, colleges, and universities. This bill is counter to the First Amendment and takes away parental rights. We currently have decency regulations that protect children from pornographic images. Therefore this legislation is unnecessary and is government overreach. We need to protect freedom of speech at all costs and this bill is counter to that.
There are several bills that will be coming down the pipes that are anti-American and discriminatory. I am working hard to defeat these bills and create an open environment for North Dakota.
Sincerely,
Senator Ryan Braunberger
District 10 Fargo
January 15th 2023
March 20th 2022
March 20th 2021
February 15th 2021
February 11th 2021
__293px-wide.jpg__293px-wide.jpg)
_(1)__293px-wide.png)
_(1)__293px-wide.jpg)
Proposed Bills Could Take Books off Library ShelvesBy Laura Simmonslaurasimmons2025@u.northwestern.edu The passing of ND House Bill 1205 and ND Senate Bill 2360, which would prevent sexually explicit books from being in public…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comHPR chats with a local legendThe following interview was done in February of 2016, just a few months after Mr. Josef Olivieri's 90th birthday. We're sorry to hear of his passing at the age of 97 on…
Tuesday, March 21, 6:30pmZandbroz Variety, FargoAuthor of “Boys and Oil: Growing Up Gay in a Fractured Land” Taylor Broby will discuss the important role libraries play in their communities as sanctuaries of acceptance. He will…
By John Strandjas@hpr1.comOur Opinion: Who on Earth would ever want to move to North Dakota?Let’s talk about the left hand and the right hand. Or, more correctly, let’s focus on the right hand, being as there is no left in ND…
By Ed Raymond fargogadfly@gmail.comHas Christianity Gone Bankrupt Because of Evangelicals, Stupidity, and the Vatican?The word “bankruptcy” refers to money because…
Well shiver me timbers. After weeks of sampling some of the finest drinks in F-M from more bars than we could shake a belaying pin at, the results of High Plains Reader’s 6th Annual Cocktail Showdown are in! For nine weeks,…
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.comWhen thinking of popular sandwiches associated with the Upper Midwest, the sloppy joe immediately comes to mind. But let’s not forget the sandwich with a spicy side – the taco grinder. It’s a…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Upon discovering the music of Arkansas-based musician Nick Shoulders, there are a couple of things that come to mind. At first listen it’s no secret that his sound is a celebration of past music…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.comOn Saturday, March 25, filmmaker Mike Flanagan returns to the Fargo Film Festival, where “Absentia,” his debut feature, made its world premiere in 2011. This time, he will be joined by his…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comIf you’ve ever driven down the Enchanted Highway, the 32-mile ribbon of road connecting Regent to Gladstone in western North Dakota, home to the world’s largest salvaged metal sculptures,…
By Jessica M. Hawkesjmhawkes84@gmail.comIt wasn’t long after the founding of the railroad and river town of New Rockford that entertainment venues started to put down their own roots. Its population bolstered by booms of nearby…
By Jan Syverson Jan.r.Syverson@gmail.comFor the past 30 years live, stand-up comedy has had a place in the Fargo Moorhead area, Starting with…
By Kris Gruberperriex1@gmail.comSpring is here (mostly), and our area is buzzing with people eager to get back out and about -- many newly vaccinated and feeling a bit safer. Partnering with Jade Events, Fargo Brewing is just…
By John Showalter john.d.showalter@gmail.comThey sell fentanyl test strips and kits to harm-reduction organizations and…
JANUARY 19, 1967– MARCH 8, 2023 Brittney Leigh Goodman, 56, of Fargo, N.D., passed away unexpectedly at her home on March 8, 2023. Brittney was born January 19, 1967, to Ruth Wilson Pollock and Donald Ray Goodman, in Hardinsburg,…
By Ken and Alice Christiansonsubmit@hpr1.com HB 1332 is currently before the North Dakota legislature. The bill proposes to permit social workers to use a discredited treatment method to convert the sexual orientation of gay and…