Elizabeth New (Hovde) says legislators are running out of time this legislative session to show us that they can honor what voters said they wanted for parents and children in Initiative 2081
Elizabeth New (Hovde)
Washington Policy Center
I’ve been a mom in Washington state for all of my children’s K-12 years, during which they attended public schools. They are wrapping up those years now.
I’m thankful for the taxpayers who provided their education, for the hard-working educators who have had my boys as students and for the mostly good experiences we’ve had with their schools. I’m also relieved that the relationship I have with my sons today is good enough — and that they are old enough — that I don’t personally worry that some lawmakers in Olympia are trying to circumvent my parental guidance and knowledge about what is happening with my kids.
Legislative efforts this year involve two pieces of legislation to keep schools from telling parents what they know is going on with their child’s health — while allowing them to help arrange appointments related to their health. The proposals are being considered despite a recently passed initiative that required parents to be kept in the loop.
Another piece of legislation was going to require social media companies to notify minors if parents are checking up on them online. Senate Joint Resolution 8204 seeks a constitutional amendment that adds a new article to Washington state’s Constitution that would enshrine reproductive choices and gender-related decisions regardless of a person’s age. Meanwhile, a common-sense bill that did not even receive a hearing from leading lawmakers is House Bill 1176, which proposes increasing the age of consent for medical decisions to 17. (Of course it didn’t. It runs counter to a current theme in Washington state that parents are not to be trusted to help their children but that government should be.)
Washingtonians should be concerned. Parents are under attack.
Washington state already adheres to a “mature minor doctrine” that says minors can be determined mature enough to make life-changing medical decisions without parental consent. Many lawmakers clearly think even parent notification of health decisions is too much.
I’m frustrated and upset for the parents in Washington state whose children are younger and more impressionable than mine.
There were times in my children’s middle and high school years that I was not the person they wanted advice from or time with. Their favorite teachers and peers had more temporary draw. They also saw classmates getting attention for being out of the norm. They were called “brave” and affirmed by educators and other students. (By the way, most pre-teens would like attention and a sense of belonging, especially in a group known as brave.)
If my children had taken more of the guidance and influence they received at school during times they were questioning the world and their place in it, and if I had not been diligently involved in their development offering some balance, they might be different people than they are today. They might have missed the opportunity to figure out who they were in their own time.
If I hadn’t seen the gender unicorn making its way in my pre-pubescent kids’ school — asking students who they were physically attracted to, what sex they were “assigned” at birth, and what gender they identified with now — I might not have known it was time to offer my kids more information about their eventual sexual selves and make sure they knew I was open to any questions they had.
Cutting out people who know their kids best and who care about them the most is not only insulting, it is unhealthy for children. Lawmakers who are trying to keep parents in the dark need a serious wake-up call.
Some lawmakers say they have good intentions. They hope to keep kids safe from abuse or mistreatment. That’s a priority that most people, and I believe all lawmakers, share. But we are not incapable of having laws and practices that help protect kids from abuse and mistreatment while protecting them from the harm that can result from having parents shut out of their role as their kids’ primary caregivers. Don’t be fooled.
Legislators are running out of time this legislative session to show us that they can honor what voters said they wanted for parents and children in Initiative 2081, giving kids some of the safety and protection they deserve. Register your thoughts with lawmakers about House Bill 1296, Senate Bill 5181, Senate Bill 5708, Senate Joint Resolution 8204 and House Bill 1176.
Elizabeth New (Hovde) is a policy analyst and the director of the Centers for Health Care and Worker’s Rights at the Washington Policy Center. She is a Clark County resident.
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