Father James Shannon (left), former VP of student affairs Bob Boyd (middle left), law professor Steven Morrison (middle right) Dr. Eric Johnson (right) speak at a public forum in the Memorial Union Lecture Bowl to share different perspectives on Measure 1. Photo by Jennifer Friese/The Dakota Student.

Measure 1

North Dakotans will vote on Measure 1, an amendment to the North Dakota constitution. This amendment has been nicknamed the “Life Begins at Conception” amendment.

Voting will take place n Nov. 4.

If the measure is passed, it would amend the state’s constitution to include fetal development as a protected stage of life. Voters have the opportunity to make North Dakota the first state to define life as starting at conception. Supporters of the measure say that is the main goal of the amendment.

The measure states, “The inalienable right to life of every human being at any stage of development must be recognized and protected.”

Father James Shannon of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is one against the proposed measure.

“Because Measure 1 is so vague, we worry that it would open the door to the government interfering in families’ deeply personal decisions,” he said in a press release.

Supporters of the measure say it reflects the values of North Dakota. Personhood USA has established a project called “Love Them Both North Dakota” in support of passing the measure. On its website, it provides information on why they claim passing the measure is important to the state of North Dakota.

The website explains what is at stake by saying “After more than 40 years of abortion being used as a form of contraception in the United States, North Dakotans will get the chance to clarify that the North Dakota Constitution protects all life, born and unborn.”

The website says, “Activist judges in Fargo are currently trying to overturn all of our pro-life laws and prevent us from passing any pro-life laws in the future.”

With so much riding on one amendment there have been groups speaking out against the measure as well.

Those in favor of not passing Measure 1 claim it is too abstract to be passed. Some groups are worried that if the measure is passed, it will restrict access to birth control, in-vitro fertilization and abortion.

Former Lt. Governor Lloyd Omdahl has spoken out against the measure.

“This measure is driven primarily by theology,” Omdahl said.

He also explains why the passing of this measure would cause more problems than it would help solve.

“Measure No. 1 creates another problem,” Omdahl said. “It provides no exception for anyone at any age who would become pregnant by seduction, sex trafficking, rape or incest.”

Omdahl gave a hypothetical but realistic scenario of a 14 year old girl becoming pregnant by sex trafficking, seduction, rape or incest.

“After such a traumatic experience as rape or incest, the child could become a lifelong victim mandated by Measure No. 1,” Omdahl said. “Teen suicides have occurred under less challenging circumstances.”

James’ viewpoint as a minister centers around the impact the measure would have on families.

“As clergy, we hold a deep respect for each family’s beliefs and wishes,” he said.

Supporters of the measure need 165,000 people to vote yes on Measure 1 for it to pass.

North Dakotans will have the final say when the measure is voted on in early November of this year.

Story by Parker Payne

Measure 3

Included on this year’s North Dakota ballot is the North Dakota Commission of Higher Education Amendment, or Measure 3, which could shake the foundation of state universities.

If passed, Measure 3 would eliminate the current eight part-time members of the board and create a board comprised of three full-time members — a shift which some believe could affect accreditation.

“The threat to accreditation is very real,” said Dana Harsell, associate professor in the political science department at UND.

The Higher Learning Commission, which oversees the accreditation of the eleven North Dakota University System campuses, wrote a letter to NDUS Interim Chancellor Larry Skogen saying, “Accreditation does not automatically continue at a college or university that undergoes a change in Group’s Colleges & Degrees website, a loss of accreditation could directly affect students by making credits nontransferable and finding a job after graduation difficult, as many employers would question the validity of the degree.

“In the immediate term, I don’t think it would have any effect on students,” Harsell said about the measure if it went through.

Another fear is that the lower number of board members will affect the board’s response time.

“You can make cases for both sides,” Harsell said. “Do you want a government that’s very responsive or do you want one that’s slow and deliberate?”

Former Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota Larry Omdahl feels having fewer board members would narrow the scope and give everyone less of a say in the system.

“This is so contrary to who we are and how we do business in North Dakota,” he said. “We put a lot of stress on involvement of people and what this does is reduce the stress of involvement.”

Although the measure requires that one member of the board “holds a professional position within the higher education sector,” Omdahl worries the measure could muffle the voices of people actually involved in education because “it will reduce the area of contact by board members,” he said

While not everyone agrees with Measure 3, some aren’t happy with the current setup.

“I wouldn’t say it’s bad, but it could be improved,” Omdahl said. This isn’t the first attempt to alter the board, with Harsell stating “that there have been a whole lot of attempts to reform the State Board of Higher Education.”

UND Student Government has remained tight-lipped about Measure 3 and its potential impact on students.

“Our stance, if you will, is that we’re not taking an opinion,” Student Government Affairs Commissioner Sean McClain said. “We see it to be our duty to present unbiased informational facts.”

“When people don’t understand what it means or does, they tend to leave it blank or vote no,” Harsell said about ballot measures — a problem that Student Government will attempt to remedy by holding an informational session about Measure 3 on Oct. 7 at the Loading Dock in the Memorial Union from 5-7 p.m., McClain said.

Voting will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 4, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Story by Jamie Hutchinson

Parker Payne and Jamie Hutchinson are staff writers for The Dakota Student. They can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected].