On Tuesday, Governor Jay Inslee of Washington signed Senate Bill 5599 into law, a controversial piece of legislation introduced by State Sen. Marko Liias. This bill allows the state to legally remove children from their parents if they do not consent to any gender transition surgeries or abortion their child might seek. This is what I would call kidnapping.
The existing law required that any youth shelter where a child sought refuge must inform their parents or legal guardians within 24 to 72 hours of arriving. However, the state can bypass this obligation if they have “compelling reasons” to believe notifying the parents or legal guardians would put the child in danger of abuse or neglect.
This new law will permit government agencies to conceal the whereabouts of runaway children who are looking for sex changes and abortions, meaning that no one can challenge the “state-sanctioned kidnapping of children.” It also removes parents from being involved in the health and mental health care decision-making process for their kids.
More of SB 5599 from Clark County Today:
Although framed by proponents as a bill to protect youth suffering from abuse, SB 5599 only stipulates that the minors be “seeking or receiving protected health care services” for a homeless shelter or “host home” to avoid informing the parents or legal guardians, as otherwise required by state law.
The bill adds youth seeking abortions or irreversible gender surgeries to the list of compelling reasons while allocating $7.5 million to the Office of Homeless Youth Prevention and Protection Programs for “supportive care grants to organizations to address the needs of youth and young adults seeking protected health care services.” The bill does not state when or if the parents ever need to be notified of their child’s whereabouts.
As defined by existing state law, “gender affirming care” includes but is not limited to the following procedures:
- Breast augmentation
- Chemical peel
- Dermabrasion
- Facial feminization surgeries
- Face lift
- Facial masculinization surgeries
- Forehead brow lift
- Genital modification
- Hair line modification
- Hair removal by electrolysis or laser
- Hysterectomy
- Lip enhancement
- Reduction thyroid chondroplasty (chondrolaryngoplasty or tracheal shave)
- Rhinoplasty
- Skin resurfacing
- Liposuction
- Mastectomy
- Penile implant
- Voice modification
Combined with HB 1469, which has passed in both chambers, the two policies would allow youth from other states to run away from home, go to a Washington youth shelter seeking an abortion or gender surgery, and the parents would not have to be notified. Also, none of the medical records related to any of those services could be obtained.
One amendment added on the House floor requires OHY to collect data on the number of unsheltered homeless youth in the state, while another requires the Department of Children, Youth, and Families to offer a runaway youth referrals to behavioral health services and services to “resolve the conflict and accomplish a reunification of the family.”
In response, a group has initiated a referendum campaign with the intent to overturn SB 5599 – as reported by Discovery Institute Senior Journalist Jonathan Choe – in order to gain enough signatures for it to appear on the ballot in November.
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