Thank you for this analysis, and for your viewpoint from personal experience.
I just spent about 3 hours researching ESSB 5599 and formulating a comment, which I sent to the House Human Services, Youth and Early Learning Committee prior to their hearing tomorrow, to request a "no" vote on this bill.
Essentially, ESSB 5599 would eliminate due process for the severing of parental rights in cases where minors are "seeking or receiving gender-affirming care" or "reproductive services" i.e., abortion-- without any investigation or court proceeding.
Shelters and other such facilities would be exempt from the requirement to notify parents of their minor child's whereabouts in such cases, which translates into the instant severing of parental rights, without due process.
ESSB 5599 is silent about what happens to the minor after s/he indicates they are seeking such services, and only exempts a shelter or similar organization from notifying the parents of the location of their child. There is no direction given to shelter personnel about psychological testing, or counselling, or advising of possible bad outcomes, so presumably the minor would be hustled along the path of abortion or "gender-affirming" hormone treatment and/or surgery. And since parental rights would have been severed, who would pay for these surgeries? Presumably the Washington taxpayer would be left holding the bag.
It seems likely that if enacted, this bill would lead to many lawsuits by parents angry that their rights have been severed without due process, and eventually, by minors--now adults--angry about irreversible procedures they were rushed into without understanding the full effects.
As mentioned by j.sparks, please contact your legislators and the members of the House Human Services Committee, and urge them to vote NO on ESSB 5599.
Thank you for this analysis, and for your viewpoint from personal experience.
I just spent about 3 hours researching ESSB 5599 and formulating a comment, which I sent to the House Human Services, Youth and Early Learning Committee prior to their hearing tomorrow, to request a "no" vote on this bill.
Essentially, ESSB 5599 would eliminate due process for the severing of parental rights in cases where minors are "seeking or receiving gender-affirming care" or "reproductive services" i.e., abortion-- without any investigation or court proceeding.
Shelters and other such facilities would be exempt from the requirement to notify parents of their minor child's whereabouts in such cases, which translates into the instant severing of parental rights, without due process.
ESSB 5599 is silent about what happens to the minor after s/he indicates they are seeking such services, and only exempts a shelter or similar organization from notifying the parents of the location of their child. There is no direction given to shelter personnel about psychological testing, or counselling, or advising of possible bad outcomes, so presumably the minor would be hustled along the path of abortion or "gender-affirming" hormone treatment and/or surgery. And since parental rights would have been severed, who would pay for these surgeries? Presumably the Washington taxpayer would be left holding the bag.
It seems likely that if enacted, this bill would lead to many lawsuits by parents angry that their rights have been severed without due process, and eventually, by minors--now adults--angry about irreversible procedures they were rushed into without understanding the full effects.
As mentioned by j.sparks, please contact your legislators and the members of the House Human Services Committee, and urge them to vote NO on ESSB 5599.