Janne Myrdal
Janne Myrdal | |
|---|---|
| Member of the North Dakota Senate from the 19th district | |
| Assumed office December 1, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Fors |
| Member of the North Dakota Senate from the 10th district | |
| In office December 1, 2016 – December 1, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Joe Miller |
| Succeeded by | Ryan Braunberger |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 4, 1962 Skien, Telemark, Norway |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Mark D. Myrdal (m. 1994) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Edinburg, North Dakota |
| Profession | Homemaker |
Janne Myrdal (born May 4, 1962[1]) is a Republican member of the North Dakota Senate, representing the 19th district. Myrdal was first elected in 2016 to the 10th district, and re-elected in 2020. She is known for her anti-abortion activism[2] and opposition to LGBTQ rights.[3]
Early life and education
[edit]Myrdal was born in Telemark, Norway in 1962 where she lived until completing high school.[4] She then decided to travel to Texas for a year to do humanitarian work as a Christian to help refugees. There she met Mark, an American farmer from North Dakota, who she married in Skien, Norway in 1994. They have three children who they raised on the family farm in rural Edinburg where Myrdal is a homemaker.[5]
Politics
[edit]Before becoming a member of the North Dakota Senate, Myrdal was an anti-abortion activist, heading the anti-abortion group ND Choose Life.[6] Additionally, Myrdal is the former director of the North Dakota chapter of Concerned Women for America, a conservative activist group which opposes LGBTQ rights.[3]
2017 Legislative Session
[edit]In January 2017, Myrdal co-sponsored House Bill 1185, which would have classified all internet-connected devices as "pornographic vending machines" that must make unavailable any "obscene material and obscene performances" unless the end user of such a device requests an opt-out in writing and pays the state a $20 opt-out fee.[7] Facing international ridicule, the cosponsors dropped the bill from further consideration.[8]
Also in January 2017, Myrdal re-shared an article on her personal Facebook page that criticized LGBT opposition to then-president-elect Donald Trump. The accompanying image featured a rainbow flag that had been defaced with a swastika. Upon claiming to learn about the image, Myrdal immediately deleted the post and apologized for what she claimed was a mistake.[9]
2019 Legislative Session
[edit]In January 2019, Myrdal cosponsored a bill to require physicians to tell women the falsehood that it is possible to reverse a drug-induced abortion. Myrdal said the bill was about providing options to pregnant women, but the head of the state's sole abortion clinic said the claim was not backed by science.[10] The bill did become law, but was blocked by a federal judge on the grounds that it required doctors to lie to their patients.[11]
Re-election
[edit]In November 2020, Myrdal was re-elected to a second term in the Senate with 74% of the vote.[12] Myrdal has the potential to be re-elected twice more before being forced to retire from the North Dakota Senate, following the approval of Measure 1.
2021 Legislative Session
[edit]In 2021, Myrdal introduced legislation which sought to defund North Dakota State University for undertaking a longtime research project on youth sex education.[13]
2023 Legislative Session
[edit]Myrdal supported the so-called anti-trans Senate Bill 2231[14] which would prohibit government entities from mandating employees to call people by their preferred pronouns and would also require teachers to get approval from both parents and administrators before using that student's pronouns if they're different from the student's sex at birth; Myrdal said of it, ”[Teachers] came to me in the interim, and said, ‘We are worried that we’re going to get fired because we have to violate our first constitutional rights of freedom of religion and freedom of speech by naming a child something that they're not.’ When they feel like that's helping them and their mental dysphoria toward death's door."[14]
Mydral introduced SCR 4013, which tightened the North Dakota constitutional initiative process, and was passed 44-3.[15]
Myrdal faced criticism when Reverend Dr. Leanne Simmons was praying over the Senate on February 8; Senators Myrdal and Michael Wobbema (R-Valley City) turned their backs to her while she was saying “Creator of the universe and all people therein, You who formed humankind in Your image, placing them in this world in all their diversity — differing colors, genders, races, ethnicities and language. We praise You for the splendor of Your creation and the love that motivated Your hand on this Earth”. Myrdal told KFR-TV S: “People lobbying from the prayer pulpit is something we don't believe in.”[16]
Family
[edit]Since 1994, she has been married to Mark Myrdal (b. 1954),[1] a farmer in Edinburg, North Dakota, who is of Norwegian descent. They married at Skien, Telemark, Norway and have three children.
References
[edit]- ^ a b United States Public Records, 1970-2009
- ^ "North Dakota State head defends ties with Planned Parenthood". AP NEWS. 2021-03-30. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
- ^ a b "Sponsors of North Dakota's transgender athletes bill have ties to anti-LGBT organizations, but they say it's not relevant to the proposal". Grand Forks Herald. 2021-03-13. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
- ^ Pedersen, Ruben (Nov 3, 2020). "Norske Janne (58) er senator i USA". dagbladet.no. Retrieved Feb 5, 2021.
- ^ Knudson, Pamela (November 8, 2016). "Myrdal wins District 10's North Dakota Senate seat". Grand Forks Herald. Forum Communications. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
- ^ "North Dakota argues 'right-to-life' measure intent". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
- ^ Thomson, Iain (January 11, 2017). "Anti-smut law dubs PCs, phones 'pornographic vendor machines', demands internet filters". The Register. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
- ^ "Comments: ND 1185 | 2017-2018 | 65th Legislative Assembly". LegiScan. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
- ^ Glass-Moore, Adrian (January 17, 2017). "ND Legislator Shares Gay Nazi Flag". Mean Read. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
- ^ Hageman, John (January 21, 2019). "Committee hears two North Dakota abortion bills in packed room". Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
- ^ Hageman, John (September 10, 2019). "Judge blocks new North Dakota abortion law". The Bismarck Tribune. Forum News Service. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ "North Dakota Secretary of State". Retrieved January 12, 2021.
- ^ "North Dakota college budget bill is held hostage over Planned Parenthood". www.insidehighered.com. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
- ^ a b Crane, Joel. "ND Senate passes two bills relating to personal pronouns". www.kfyrtv.com. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
- ^ "SCR 4013 - Actions | North Dakota Legislative Branch". www.ndlegis.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
- ^ Crane, Joel. "'That looks really ugly': ND lawmakers turn backs on chaplain during prayer". www.kfyrtv.com. Retrieved 2023-03-08.