Washington State Democrats Vote To Seize Parental Power

While the news media was occupied vilifying the alleged Pentagon leaker, covering up Biden’s gaffes in Ireland, and slandering Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, there are very disturbing developments occurring elsewhere in the country.

The Washington Free Beacon reported that The Washington House of Reps passed Senate Bill 5599 last week. The bill passed on a 57-39 vote as Republican legislators unanimously voted against the bill.

What does this bill do?

Like all bills of this nature, there is a chasm of difference between the stated purpose and what the bill actually allows. The bill claims its purpose is to protect youth suffering from abuse.

Currently, the laws require licensed youth shelters to inform parents when their child checks in, unless there is evidence the child is being abused. If the bill becomes law, licensed shelters for runaway or homeless minors won’t need to contact or inform the youth’s parents if there is a “compelling reason not to.”

What could this “compelling reason” be?

The bill states that the “compelling reason” could be the minor “seeking or receiving protected health care services” from a homeless shelter or “host home.”

What sort of services will these be? These happen to be gender-transitioning services and medications or “reproductive health services,” such as abortion.

The House’s version of the bill requires shelters and hosts to report a minor’s intentions to seek gender-affirming care to the Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). The department would then decide if the parents should be notified on a case-by-case basis.

You read that correctly: for minors living in Washington State, the state and not the parent will decide if the minor will undergo a life-altering procedure. The bill conflates parents not accepting a child’s claim to be the opposite gender with living in an “unsafe” home environment.

The bill’s author, Washington Democrat State Sen. Marko Liias, justified his ludicrous and dangerous proposal claiming that puberty blockers and sex change procedures have:

“…been proven to lower rates of adverse mental health outcomes, build self-esteem, and improve the overall quality of life for transgender and gender diverse youth.

“We know that young people experiencing homelessness are exposed to dangerous and harmful outcomes. That is why we must take every step we can to ensure their safety….

“This legislation ensures that our trans youth have safe options and access to secure, stable shelter when they may not be welcome at home.”

Liias’s colleague, Democrat state Rep. Tana Senn, engaged in platitudes during the House’s vote on the bill, she addressed the minors.

“I am saying tonight to them that I see you, that I affirm you, that I hear you, that I love you. With this passage of the bill, we are saying that Washington State does too.”

The Republicans asked obvious questions and stated facts — which in times of collective insanity is an act of valor.

State Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber (D-7) asked the following in the Legislature:

“We’re saying that the state of Washington, under this underlying policy, can take this child and not contact the parents with no signs of abuse, with no pending case of abuse, and the foster system not involved, I’m a little confused Mr. Speaker”

State Rep. Jim Walsh (D-19) said the following:

“Among its many flaws, the bill assumes families that don’t ‘affirm’ a child’s short-term desires are being abusive. Wrong! Sometimes love requires parents to not affirm their child’s whims. Loving parents guide their children as they grow. Sometimes that means saying ‘no,’

“During floor debate, we heard the tired old cliche that ‘it takes a village to raise a child.’ That’s false. That notion has resulted in exploding crime rates, homelessness, and rising teen suicide rates in Washington. Enough. Parents are the primary stakeholders in their children’s upbringing―not the government.”

The State Senate now has to approve the changes the House made.

Washington isn’t the only state attempting to usurp parental permission for such controversial and life-alerting medical procedures without parental consent.

Lawmakers in Oregon, Minnesota, and Colorado have also passed legislation designed to make their states “safe havens” for youths seeking sex changes or abortions.

California Democrats also advanced a bill that would allow children as young as 12 to check into a group home without parental consent.

These measures come as transgender activists, social media personalities, and therapists encourage minors to sever ties with their parents if they don’t support medical transitions.

So let’s state some obvious facts.

Minors are vulnerable and impressionable; this is why they are not allowed to drive vehicles, or vote, or drink alcoholic beverages, or smoke, or watch films of a violent nature, or carry fire arms, or have sexual intercourse. Minors simply do not have the mental capacity to take decisions that will have a long-term effect.

A youth may change his opinion about his favorite ice cream flavor or sports star or superhero every week or every day. The reason we often cannot believe the things we enjoyed as youths is that we were immature.

If a bill such as this, is passed the following, the following could occur:

A child perhaps being influenced by the media, or due to indoctrination by a teacher, or owing to a culture that has made transgenderism trendy, could opt to ‘transition’ and choose to find a way to check into a facility.

Perhaps the child’s real grouse is that he is forced to eat spinach instead of the junk food he prefers and his parents restrict the amount of time he plays video games. Alas, the child is too young to understand what is good for him. But this law will enable the government to divorce his parents from him and opt for a life-altering decision.

The proponents of these laws will claim that in real life government officials or shelter officials will apply common sense. For them, we must recall how the government behaved during lockdowns. They denied citizens’ fundamental rights to move, earn a living, and choose what to inject into their bodies.

Laws are created keeping the worst kind of human instinct in mind – this is why there are laws that punish criminals but no laws that award heroism, or kindness. The purpose of the law is to deter individuals or groups from committing violations.

We have to understand that when an individual or a group is granted power, it isn’t a question of if but how and when they will use and eventually abuse that power.

If we look at history, only pedophiles, terrorists, Communists, and Nazis preyed upon young children. Sadly, states, in one of the world’s largest democracies are joining in.

Will this madness ever stop?

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This article (Washington State Democrats vote to seize power from parents) is republished here on TLB under “Fair Use” (see the TLB disclaimer below) with attribution to the articles author Rajan Laad, and americanthinker.com.

TLB recommends that you visit the American Thinker for more great articles and info.

Read more great articles by Rajan Laad

Image Credit: Graphic in Featured Image (top): Pixabay License.

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