Renee Carlson, General Counsel of True North Legal, a legal initiative of the Minnesota Family Council, has accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz of pushing an “extreme” agenda on issues like abortion, religious freedom and gender ideology. Carlson, a vocal critic of the governor’s policies, argues that Walz’s stance on these issues has transformed Minnesota into one of the most progressive states in the nation, and that his actions are far from “moderate.”
“I was pretty surprised that the claim for his pick was that he is a moderate, that he shares Minnesota values,” Carlson told Fox News Digital. “A lot of people in Minnesota are astounded by the policies that have been passed in Minnesota, specifically policies that affect families flourishing. They’re disappointed and certainly not in line with his progressive ideology.”
Carlson singled out Walz’s stance on abortion as particularly concerning. She criticized his support for abortion up to birth with no limitations, arguing that this policy goes against the wishes of most Minnesotans. She also expressed disappointment with the repeal of protective measures for women seeking abortions, including the removal of the hospital-only law, the physician-only law, the 24-hour waiting period, and the “woman’s right to know” provision, which provides information about the effects of abortion on the woman’s body.
Carlson also pointed to the removal of protections for babies born alive after surviving an abortion, claiming that they now only receive “comfort care” instead of “life-saving care.” She described this as a situation where “cattle and reptiles in Minnesota now have more rights than Minnesota’s women and preborn children when it comes to abortion.”
When it comes to religious freedom, Carlson expressed disappointment with Walz’s record, stating that his policies constitute a “brazen attack on our fundamental freedoms and First Amendment rights.” She highlighted the removal of exemptions for religious organizations under the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which was previously in place to protect organizations with sincerely held religious beliefs that may conflict with the act’s anti-discrimination provisions related to gender identity.
“The Minnesota Human Rights Act, like many states, has anti-discrimination provisions, based on specific categories,” Carlson explained. “One of those is gender identity, and that is at times in conflict with sincerely held religious beliefs of religious people in Minnesota. And that’s about half the population.”
She added, “Well, a special exemption back in the ‘90s was put in when sexual orientation was added as a protected class to the Minnesota Human Rights Act. I mean, and that was a wonderful demonstration of pluralism. If that legislation was going to be added, at least there were protections for religious organizations within this exemption. Well, that exemption, like I said, was removed last year.”
Carlson also took issue with Walz’s stance on gender ideology, arguing that Minnesota is emerging as one of the most progressive states in the country when it comes to gender policies. She expressed concern about the Walz administration’s efforts to promote gender ideology as a “superseding category” and the potential impact of these policies on the fabric of the country.
“We are fighting for our freedoms,” Carlson said. “I mean, something as simple as religious freedom was on the chopping blocks in Minnesota. If that’s happening in Minnesota, just imagine what could happen across the country. I think people need to take a closer look at Minnesota and what policies have been passed. And again, in my firsthand experience, this is not a moderate administration. These are some of the most progressive, extreme policies that we’ve seen across the country.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign for comment but did not receive a response.
