WA Bill Allowing Transgender Treatment for Minors Without Parental Consent Passes
The bill will also establish Washington as a “sanctuary state” for runaway teens seeking “gender-affirming” treatment
A Washington state bill that will allow some minors to seek so-called “gender-affirming” treatment without parental consent has passed the state House and is heading to Democrat Governor Jay Inslee’s desk to be signed.
The bill allows for host homes of runaway youth to house them “without parental permission,” nor are host homes required to inform parents where their children are or if they are receiving medical treatment “if there is a compelling reason not to, which includes a youth seeking protected health services.”
“Protected health services,” as the New York Post reports, includes so-called “gender-affirming care,” which is the term used for puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and surgeries used for trans-identifying people who wish to more closely resemble the sex they identify as.
The bill does not specify which treatments would be approved under this bill, however.
It does state that these treatments “can be prescribed to two-spirit, transgender, nonbinary, and other gender diverse individuals.”
Shelters not required to contact parents may instead contact the state-run Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF).
While the bill was praised by transgender advocates, critics and political opposition branded it as an attack on parental rights.
“The only thing [the bill] would do is cause harm by driving a wedge between vulnerable kids and their parents, at a time when a teen lacks the perception and judgment to make critical life-altering decisions,” state Senate Republican Leader John Braun said. “A parent may not even know why the child ran away and could involve law enforcement or other groups in a desperate search… all the while going through an unnecessary emotional nightmare, imagining the worst about what might have happened.”