Legislators in the Washington State House are furiously passing new ways for their government to further separate children from their concerned and involved parents.

One of these bills is Senate Bill 5599, deceptively described as “an act relating to supporting youth,” would erect a very harmful wall between youth mistakenly seeking controversial medical services and their guiding, protective parents.

Under current Washing State law, youth or homeless shelter personnel must notify parents within eight to seventy-two hours of youth coming to their facilities without parental permission. But some legislators are working hard to add one notable stipulation: parents will not be notified of their child’s whereabouts if the presenting child “is seeking or receiving protected health care services.”  These “protected” health care services are very specific and speak directly to the ideology behind such legislation. They are detailed in companion bill SB 5489 and include only so-called “access to reproductive health care services and gender-affirming treatment.”

According to the proposed law, “gender-affirming treatment” means “health services or products that support and affirm an individual’s gender identity, including social, psychological, behavioral, and medical or surgical interventions.” Reproductive health services include all terminations of pregnancy, “including self-managed termination,” contraception and “assisted reproduction.”

These bills are not protecting children’s health, but the left’s access to your children on their most sacred sacraments: abortion and gender ideology.

It is very likely these bills will be signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee, telling parents with run-away children they have no right to know where their children are or be involved in their crisis.

What makes this legislation even worse is that being joined with HB1469, which has passed both House and Senate and awaiting executive signature, Washington will become a sanctuary state for teens from other states seeking such troubling services. Young people from any other state will be able to head to Washington, simply claiming they are seeking “protected health care services” and their parents will never be notified in any way by officials. Nor will the medical records of such services be available to parents.

In addition, HB 1340, which has passed both chambers and is presently on the Governor’s desk, prevents health care providers from being disciplined or losing their license for ‘unprofessional conduct’ in regards to abortion or gender mutilation procedures.

This is sinister. It is ideology being masked as care and concern, protecting those who are going after our children and blocking parents’ rights. One of these legislative packages’ supporters, Rep. Tana Senn, unwittingly explained the motivation behind this effort,

I am speaking to youth across our nation, across our state, and our communities. I see you. I affirm you, that I hear you, that I love you. With this passage of the bill, we are saying Washington state does, too.

They want to separate children from the watchful and caring eyes of parents who know the dangers of such procedures.

Brad Payne, Director of Policy & Governmental Affairs for the Focus on the Family allied Family Policy Institute of Washington, explained his state “has moved itself to the ‘top of the class’ as a sanctuary state for abortion and gender mutilation procedures.” The legislators pushing these disturbing bills don’t disagree: “I don’t know of any other state that is acting as swiftly and aggressively to protect reproductive rights in the wake of the Dobbs decision” said Rep. Drew Hansen, a Democrat from Bainbridge Island.

But strong pro-family legislators have fought back strong against this onslaught. Rep. Jim Walsh, (R-Aberdeen) reports, “Since the vote on SB 5599, I’ve been contacted by thousands of concerned Washingtonians about this attack on parents’ rights and families.” Walsh adds, “Sponsors and supporters of this bill have overstepped the constitution and case law in promoting this policy, which would allow state bureaucrats to hide minor children from custodial parents and legal guardians. This bill is wrong—legally, ethically and morally.”

A primary problem undergirding such bills across the country is the assumption that an unqualified “yes” to young peoples’ assumption that an abortion, hormones or genital mutilation is the proper loving response. This is terribly manipulative and simplistic. As Rep Walsh correctly explains, this is not love. “Sometimes love requires parents to not affirm their child’s whims. Loving parents guide their children as they grow. Sometimes that means saying no.”

Walsh added, “Lawmakers promoting these changes put wedges between children and their parents, grandparents and the people who love them.” This should never be allowed.

But Washington state legislators are merely following the lead of California in erasing the rights of parents in each of the other 58 states by becoming “sanctuary states” for abortive and gender-ideology-led procedures.

 

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