Opinion: Parents vs. Washington state

Nancy Churchill offers her support for ‘Reject 5599’ effort

Nancy Churchill
Dangerous Rhetoric

Should the State of Washington be able to hide children from their parents? For many people, that seems like a crazy question to ask. Of course not! For most people, the answer to that question is a resounding “NO!” Did you know that the Washington Legislature passed a law this session, Senate Bill 5599, that would allow the state to hide runaway children from their families under certain circumstances?

Is there ANY circumstance that would justify giving the state of Washington the power to break up families and hide children from loving families that are seeking everywhere for them?

Our state laws regarding child abuse already create a legal process that allows the state to remove children from abusive homes. And in general, the state is very reluctant to remove children from their family homes, even in cases where neglect seems possible. Children have died from neglect because Child Protective Services failed in their primary duty. So why did the legislature decide to grant youth shelters and foster homes the extraordinary power to HIDE children from their families? This power is granted in cases when children want medical treatment that their parents or guardians may not approve!

According to the Family Policy Institute of Washington, “SB 5599, as signed by the Governor, allows shelters to assist children in obtaining abortions, puberty blockers, gender ‘reassignment’ surgeries, or any other health services prescribed by a doctor to treat ‘dysphoria,’ without contacting police, CPS, or the child’s parents.”

“The bill report states that a shelter can be classified as ‘any person, unlicensed youth shelter, or runaway and homeless youth program.’ This means a child could seek shelter at any stranger’s house and that person would not need to alert police that they were harboring a runaway child.” With the passage of SB 5599, the state is actively working to divide families, assume the authority of parents and remove parental custody rights without even the due process protection of a child custody hearing.

Referendum: How to reject a bad law in Washington.

Washington state citizens have a referendum process that we can use to reject a bad law that has already been passed. A referendum reacts to and rejects a law that is already in effect. An initiative proposes a new law.

Referendum 101 to Reject 5599 has already been filed, and signature petitions are now available. You can order petitions for your neighborhood at www.reject5599.com. If organizers can collect 200,000 signatures by July 15th the law will appear on the November ballot. Then voters have a choice to reject or approve the new law. This law impacts families from all over the country, not just Washington. Any runaway, from any state, could flee to Washington and literally “vanish” behind the veil of secrecy cast by the State. It’s absolutely outrageous.

No matter where you live, your family might be impacted by SB 5599 and Referendum 101. If you can make a donation to support this referendum you will help fight for due process and parents rights. The clock is ticking, so order petitions or send a donation as soon as you can at www.reject5599.com.

Nancy Churchill is the state committeewoman for the Ferry County Republican Party. She may be reached at DangerousRhetoric@pm.me. The opinions expressed in Dangerous Rhetoric are her own.