The target of the bill is clear: North Dakota State University has for almost 10 years worked with Planned Parenthood to provide an evidence-based course to teach at risk teenagers to make informed decisions to help avoid pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases.
The money for the course, which has helped more than 600 vulnerable teens around North Dakota, is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under an initiative that started with the Obama administration and continued through the Trump administration.
The grants are awarded through a competitive process. Only sound curricula that have been proven to be effective are eligible for federal funds. The approach, which incorporates students’ values, which are molded by their families, works.
OTHER VIEWS: This bill will do serious damage to North Dakota s university system
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Petition to remove abortion-related amendments to higher-ed bill gains more than 1,000 signees
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Since Tuesday, April 6, more than 1,000 people have signed the petition against the amendments. 2:00 pm, Apr. 9, 2021 ×
The North Dakota State Capitol. Forum News Service file photo
GRAND FORKS A petition asking North Dakota legislators to remove amendments related to Planned Parenthood and other organizations that perform abortions has collected more than 1,000 signatures as of Thursday, April 8.
The petition comes the same week the North Dakota House approved legislative amendments that would levy potential arrest for faculty or staff who sign contracts with organizations that perform abortions. This comes after lawmakers say North Dakota State University failed to heed the Legislature’s warning last session about its continued partnership with Planned Parenthood.
Forum Editorial: This will do serious damage to North Dakota’s university system
This wrongheaded legislation places the state’s foot on a very slippery slope. If North Dakota isn’t careful, it could end up with a university system that one academician compared to a very expensive high school. 12:10 pm, Apr. 9, 2021 ×
North Dakota legislators are sending a message to professors and academic researchers around the nation: If you come here, politicians can run roughshod over your academic freedom.
It’s a chilling message and a giant step backwards. It will hamper the North Dakota University System’s ability to attract and retain top-flight teachers and researchers. That’s not helpful for a state that ranks near the bottom in innovation, driven in large part by research and development.