Amanda Matchett
Election Information:
Party:
Democrat
District:
32A
Office:
State House or Assembly
Contact Information:
www.matchett4minnesota.com
Survey Responses:
S = Support
O = Oppose
NR = No Response
O = Oppose
NR = No Response
|
Life
|
S | O | NR |
|---|---|---|---|
1.Protecting Life: Protecting the right to life of an unborn baby with a beating heart. |
X | ||
2.Taxpayer Funded Abortion: Allowing taxpayer dollars to fund organizations that provide abortion. |
X | ||
3.Physician-Assisted Suicide: Allowing voluntary physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients. |
X |
|
First Amendment
|
S | O | NR |
|---|---|---|---|
4.Conscience Rights for Professionals: Prohibiting the government from denying required licensure or certification to individuals because of their religious or political beliefs. |
X | ||
5.Conscience Rights for Faith-Based Organizations: Exempting faith-based organizations (e.g. adoption/foster care providers, private schools) from regulations that cause them to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs. |
X | ||
6.Prohibiting De-Banking/Insuring Based on Beliefs: Prohibiting financial institutions from shutting a customer’s bank account or canceling their insurance because of their religious or political views. |
X |
Candidate's Comments:
These questions present complex legal and constitutional issues as simple yes-or-no choices. My views are guided by balancing individual rights with the rights and safety of others, not by ideological labels. Question 4: I support protecting individuals from discrimination based solely on their religious or political beliefs. However, professional licensure exists to protect the public. A license should not be denied because of someone's beliefs, but it may be denied or disciplined when a licensee cannot or will not fulfill the essential duties of the profession. For example, healthcare providers should not refuse emergency or medically necessary care, and licensed professionals must comply with the standards and obligations of their profession. Question 5: I respect the important role faith-based organizations play in our communities and support reasonable accommodations for sincerely held religious beliefs. However, those accommodations should not become a blanket exemption from laws that protect the health, safety, and civil rights of others. Religious liberty and equal treatment should both be respected. Question 6: I do not believe people should lose access to basic financial services simply because of their religious or political beliefs. At the same time, financial institutions must retain the ability to comply with laws, manage legitimate business risks, and prevent fraud or illegal activity.
|
Family
|
S | O | NR |
|---|---|---|---|
7.Protecting Kids from Social Media: Requiring platforms to by default prevent underage accounts without parental permission, preserve parents' authority when access is allowed, and remove addictive design features and data exploitation from underage accounts. |
X | ||
8(a).Parental Rights: Allowing parents to obtain professional counseling for a child struggling with gender confusion to help the child find comfort with his or her biological sex. |
X | ||
8(b).Parental Rights: Protecting parents from losing custody of their child solely because they treat their child consistent with his or her biological sex. |
X |
Candidate's Comments:
Questions 7–8: These questions address sensitive issues affecting children, families, and parental rights but present them as binary choices. My approach is to prioritize the health, safety, and well-being of children while respecting the important role of parents. I believe decisions involving online safety, mental health, and family relationships should be guided by evidence, individualized circumstances, and the child's best interests—not political slogans or one-size-fits-all mandates. Question 7: I support stronger protections for children online, including age-appropriate privacy protections, limiting exploitative or addictive design features, and giving parents meaningful tools to supervise younger children. Any legislation should also protect privacy, be technologically workable, and recognize that older teenagers develop increasing independence and autonomy as they mature. Question 8(a): I support access to licensed, evidence-based mental health counseling for children experiencing gender-related distress. That counseling should prioritize the child's well-being, follow accepted professional standards, involve parents whenever appropriate, and should not require a predetermined outcome. I support bans on conversion therapy because I am not a medical expert, and the overwhelming consensus of major medical and mental health organizations is that these practices are ineffective and can cause significant harm. Parents play a vital role in their children's lives, but parental rights are not unlimited. Just as society no longer accepts corporal punishment that crosses into abuse despite it once being widely accepted, we should not permit practices that established medical evidence indicates are harmful to children. Parents should be empowered to make decisions for their children, but not to subject them to treatments that fall outside accepted standards of care or constitute abuse. Question 8(b): Parents should not lose custody of their child solely because they hold particular beliefs or because of a disagreement over how to navigate issues of gender identity. At the same time, courts must always retain the ability to intervene when there is evidence of abuse, neglect, or serious harm. Child custody decisions should always be based on the best interests of the child and the totality of the circumstances.
|
Education
|
S | O | NR |
|---|---|---|---|
9.School Choice: Allowing the use of tax credits, vouchers, and/or education savings accounts to cover the cost of children attending the school of their parents’ choice, including private religious schools. |
X | ||
10.Free Speech at School: Protecting teachers and students from being forced to refer to a person by inaccurate pronouns that do not align with the person’s sex. |
X | ||
11.School Healthcare Disclosure to Parents: Requiring schools to inform parents of any mental, physical, or emotional health information and treatment that a child is receiving at school. |
X | ||
12.Transparency in School Curriculum & Activities: Giving parents access to the curriculum, presentations, and activities that their children are learning in school and allowing them to opt their children out of school extra-curricular activities, presentations, or specific lessons to which the parents object. |
X |
Candidate's Comments:
Questions 9–12: Public education is a cornerstone of our democracy, and parents are essential partners in their children's education. I support transparency, meaningful parental involvement, and educational excellence for every child. At the same time, I believe public policy should ensure that all children have access to a high-quality education, protect the rights and dignity of every student, and respect the professional judgment of educators. Question 9: I support giving parents meaningful educational choices, but those choices should not come at the expense of adequately funding public schools, which serve the overwhelming majority of children and have an obligation to educate every student. Any public funding provided to private schools should be accompanied by appropriate accountability, transparency, and nondiscrimination requirements. Question 10: I believe everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. I do not support compelling speech, but I also do not support policies that single out or stigmatize transgender students. Schools should foster respectful environments where disagreements can be navigated with professionalism and compassion while complying with applicable law. Question 11: Parents should generally be informed and involved in matters affecting their child's health and well-being. However, schools must also comply with legal obligations and exercise professional judgment in situations where disclosure could place a child at risk of abuse, neglect, or other serious harm. The safety of the child must always remain the paramount consideration. Question 12: Parents should have access to information about their children's curriculum and educational experiences and should have meaningful opportunities to engage with schools. At the same time, public schools must be able to provide a complete, standards-based education. Opt-out rights should be balanced against educational requirements and should not undermine a school's ability to meet academic standards or provide an inclusive learning environment for all students.
|
Health and Welfare
|
S | O | NR |
|---|---|---|---|
13.Medical Rights of Conscience: Protecting health care workers from losing their jobs if they decline to participate in a procedure or treatment that violates their personal beliefs and conscience. |
X | ||
14.Women’s Privacy: Preventing males who identify as female from entering sex-separated spaces intended for females, such as showers, locker rooms, bathrooms, dormitories, women’s shelters, prisons, etc. |
X | ||
15.Protecting Pregnancy Centers: Ensuring pregnancy centers that provide life-affirming support to women and their families are not targeted or penalized by government officials. |
X |
Candidate's Comments:
I believe every pregnancy involves two lives that deserve dignity and protection. I support protecting unborn children whenever possible, but I do not believe that protection should come at the expense of the life or serious health of the person carrying the pregnancy. When those interests conflict, physicians must be able to provide medically necessary care without fear of criminal or civil liability. My goal is to protect life, support families, and ensure that no one is forced to choose between preserving a pregnancy and preserving the life of the pregnant patient.