Legislators attack parent’s rights in the dead of the night

Rep. Monica Stonier (Democrat, 49th District) is the primary proponent of the state keeping secrets from parents

Parent’s rights supporters watched in horror as Democrats passed HB-1296 off the House floor in the dead of night to strip away more protections for parents and kids. Monica Stonier (D-Vancouver), an educator in Southwest Washington, is the primary proponent of the state keeping secrets from parents. She and legislators were presented with a slate of amendments that would have made the bill more reasonable, including provisions to alert parents when an expensive procedure is being considered for their child or a mandatory alert for parents if their child does not go to school. Every common sense amendment was met with almost total opposition from Democrats, and full support from the Republican caucus. 

Let’s Go Washington (LGW) introduced an initiative to repeal ESSB-5181, but now the legislature seems to be putting all their chips on HB-1296 which strips parents’ rights and denies them access to information about their children. LGW’s initiative will re-establish protections for students in schools and re-affirm that parents are the primary stakeholders in medical, academic, and personal decisions for their children. 

“It’s inconceivable that keeping secrets from parents about their children is even a debate, but that’s why Democrats move in the dead of night,” said Brian Heywood, Let’s Go Washington Founder. “This legislature said in no uncertain terms that they agree with Senator Pedersen: ‘parents have no rights’. Let’s play this out a little bit: will parents be financially responsible for paying for procedures to their children that they didn’t know about? Will the state be held liable when children decide they no longer want to transition? Common sense has left the building – this legislature is an embarrassment to our state.”

Does Bob Ferguson agree with Jamie Petersen and Monica Stonier that parents have no right to know? Democrats are hell-bent on excluding parents from the lives of their children; does the state plan to take responsibility for the mental, physical, emotional, and financial damage they are doing to our children?

Parents across the state are already expressing their disdain and genuine concern for their children attending public schools where these laws will have the most impact. Democrats in the legislature are acting with complete irreverence for families and imposing their niche, out-of-touch will on parents. 

Let’s Go Washington is prepared to take any action necessary to remind the legislature that they work for the people and are not as powerful as they think. 

Visit letsgowashington.com for more information. 

Information provided by Let’s Go Washington.