Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds focused much of her speech Saturday at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Fall Supper on education and freedom. She even predicted that her efforts to deliver expanded school choice through Education Savings Accounts will become a reality in 2023.
“When you think about faith and freedom, they certainly go hand in hand,” she said towards the beginning of her remarks. “These values proudly demonstrate that our rights fundamentally come from God and not government. And, as your governor, that has been a guiding principle for me and it’s how I view my responsibilities — to empower you, not government. To trust and to respect the people I serve. To defend your personal and economic freedoms.”
She acknowledged the test the word “freedom” has undergone the last two years.
“During the pandemic, it was fundamental that Iowans were free,” Reynolds said. “Free to go to school. Free to worship. Free to have a livelihood. And, as the pandemic went on, it became evident just how bad Fauci lockdowns and school closures were. How our freedoms were replaced with control and overreach. And I’m proud to say — not in Iowa.”
Reynolds noted that Iowa had some of the “least restrictions” and “led the country in reopening.”
“We did it safely and responsibly,” she added. “We put our faith in our people. We trusted Iowans and, because of that, we went in in a strong position and we came out in a very strong position. And now it’s time once again to move forward. To lead again in the fight for faith and freedom because, once again, it is under attack.”
Reynolds declared that our “fundamental existence” as a society is under threat from “secular ideology” that uses the “guise of freedom and choice to kill an unborn child.”
“Being pro-life means supporting the freedom to be born. To grow up and to live up to the image God made us in,” she said.
And while the Dobbs decision essentially striking down Roe v. Wade should be celebrated, she said it is only a preliminary victory.
“The hardest work yet — building a culture of life — starts now,” she said. “So let’s show all Iowans and the country what we in this room already know – that defending women and mothers doesn’t require denying the humanity of unborn children.
“We all know that the Left isn’t going to give up. They won’t stop until on-demand abortion up until the moment of birth is the law of the land. And yet we’re called extreme. They’re used to getting their way no matter how radical and unpopular their position is. We see it time and again.”
Reynolds pivoted to the Linn-Mar School District’s policy, saying it helps children with so-called “gender transitions” and keeps that information from parents.
“You heard that right,” she said. “Schools intentionally sidelining parents just when their vulnerable children need them most. Apparently, a small number of radicals have now made the idea of parental involvement ‘controversial.’ They think it’s the school’s business to facilitate the gender transition of other people’s children — of our children. To teach our kids to distrust their own parents and question their own identity.”
The same radicals want to teach children their skin color can make them “inherently racist.”
“That the freest nation in the world is fundamentally oppressive,” Reynolds said. “Liberals want to put books in school libraries that are so sexually explicit their contents can barely be aired on a local TV station. They want biological males competing in girls’ sports and entering private female spaces.
“So you know what I think? I think it’s beyond time to give parents the choice in their child’s education.”
Such a policy will improve all of Iowa’s education systems, she said.
“The right to place your child in an environment where they can thrive should not just be for families that have the financial resources,” Reynolds said. “It should be for every single parent and this is the year that we are going to get that done.”
While commonsense is lacking in D.C., she said it still exists in Iowa.
“Because in Iowa, America still works. In Iowa, we reward work. We cut income taxes, eliminated the estate tax and taxes on retirement. We respect our military and law enforcement. Most of all we respect your freedom. So this fall, our community of faith and freedom must decide how much we’re willing to fight for our country’s future and are we going to stand up or are we going to stay on the sidelines?
“We can talk all we want about a red wave, but if we don’t show up, it doesn’t happen. When we show up, we win. When we show up, we fight for life, for freedom, for the Constitution and for the rule of law. For America.”
