by Mary Margret Olohan
Presumptive Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Tim Waltz donated nearly $100,000 in COVID-19 relief funds to an organization that specializes in “abortion doula” services, state contracts show.
Walz, the Minnesota governor, spent nearly $2 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds without the approval of the state legislature, using his emergency powers, according to Minnesota-based Alpha News.
Part of these funds he entered to SPIRAL Collective, a “reproductive justice nonprofit” that describes itself as “a queer, trans, disabled, BIPOC organization committed to reproductive justice values and decolonial practices.”
SPIRAL Collective received about $97,000 in two contracts with the state to provide “up-to-date information on the impacts of COVID-19 on the maternal and infant population by building an online community where families can receive resources and support.” in accordance with the agreements published by Republican Senators in the Minnesota Senate in 2021.
The first contract began on July 15, 2020 and ended in December 2020, and the second contract began in February 2021 and ended on June 30, 2021.
“We have seen a history of wasteful and careless spending under Gov. Walz,” state Sen. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, told The Daily Signal. “I was very concerned when Walz gave nearly $100,000 in federal COVID-19 relief funds to a special-interest nonprofit that provides abortion doulas.”
“During the pandemic, we should have prioritized our seniors who were dying in large numbers in nursing homes,” he added. “These funds were not intended to advance a political agenda.”
SPIRAL Collective hosts classes for people (or “follow-ups,” as it says on its website) who are interested in becoming abortion doulas. The organization maintains vigorous clinical partnerships with abortion clinics, such as Planned Parenthood Vandalia Clinic in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Family Tree Clinic in Minneapolis.
A local Minnesota newspaper, the Sahan Journal, described the role of an abortion doula as “a person who provides logistical and emotional support to women undergoing abortion,” someone who can hold a woman’s hand while a doctor performs an abortion on her unborn child.
According to Sahan’s DiarySince its founding in 2012, SPIRAL Collective has trained 500 abortion doulas.
SPIRAL Collective did not immediately respond to a request for comment. SPIRAL Collective’s voicemail clearly indicates that the group specializes in transporting women to and from abortions and training abortion doulas.
When state Republicans first raised the issue in 2021, the SPIRAL collective argued that its work focused on a virtual media campaign aimed at providing Native American communities with information about COVID-19, including information about childbirth and breastfeeding during the pandemic, the Star Tribune reported at the time.
Hey everyone! The dates for our 6th Annual Abortion Doula Training have been set. SAVE THE DATE for April 19th and 20th for our 2 day training. Head over to our Facebook page for training details + tickets + scholarship info! https://t.co/Pcp8rPpm3P photo:twitter.com/2ekFTxGPHx
— SPIRAL Collective (@SPIRALMN) February 21, 2019
The organization also offers materials on “breastfeeding and breastfeeding,” which reinforces the false claim that men can breastfeed their babies.
The organization’s “queer and trans inclusive breastfeeding guide” is led by Kait, a “queer/disabled doula/mother” who uses they/them pronouns and uses “a variety of mediums to explore her experiences with the intersections of mental illness, gender, sexuality, neurotypicality, disability, chronic illness, class, privilege, immigration, and single parenting.”
Then-state Sen. Michelle Benson obtained contracts with SPIRAL Collective through a 2021 data practices request, Alpha News reported at the time. Benson served as state senator from 2013 to 2023.
“We need to vote to keep federal money under legislative control,” she told the publication in 2021. “Senate Democrats need to join us. House Democrats need to lead on this, and the governor needs to understand that the voice of the people matters in decisions about federal money.”
Vice President Kamala Harris I chose Waltz as vice presidential candidate on Aug. 6. Walz, who was praised as a safe and sound choice for Harris because of her Midwestern background and military service, has strongly supported experimental medical interventions for transgender children and signed legislation protecting abortion, with no restrictions on late-term abortions.
He has in recent days it has generated a mighty fire amid accusations of “theft of valor” for embellishing his military service record.
Neither the Minnesota governor’s office nor Harris’ campaign immediately responded to requests for comment. The White House referred The Daily Signal to the Harris campaign.
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Mary Margaret Olohan is a senior reporter at The Daily Signal and author of “Detrans: True stories of escaping the cult of gender ideology”. She previously wrote for The Daily Caller and The Daily Wire.
Photo “Tim Walz” by Governor Tim Walz.
