Gop Pursues ‘Pro-Family Agenda’ Parental Rights On Abortions, Teen Labor, Schools Pushed

Republican lawmakers are banding together to push what they call a pro-family agenda that ranges from outlawing same-sex marriage to doing away with the state’s teen work rules.

Rep. Bill Thompson, R-Everett, said getting such social issue bills passed has been frustrating. Even if the House goes along, the Democratically-controlled Senate and Gov. Mike Lowry don’t.

But that doesn’t mean conservatives shouldn’t try, he said.

“We are drawing a line. We are making our issues clear. If people like what we are doing it will show in the coming election.

“We will keep firing the arrows. We are not giving up. And maybe we will get more people here who feel like we do.”

Rep. Cheryl Hymes, R-Mt. Vernon, likened herself to a “mother tiger, protecting the young.” The bills are needed to strengthen families and traditional values, she said.

HB2442, with 24 co-sponsors so far in the House, would rescind state child labor laws and require written parental consent before children could undergo an abortion or sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment.

Parents also would have to give their written consent before kids could receive sex education instruction, or anger, stress or conflict-resolution classes.

“It’s too easy for the schools to run everything,” said Rep. Duane Sommers, R-Spokane, a sponsor of the bill.

“We need more involvement of parents in their kids’ education,” Sommers said. “Parents feel if my kids are going to learn about these things, they are going to learn about them from me, on my schedule, and not in the first or second grade.

“That has to be respected.”

Kids also would have to get their parents’ written permission before they could get counseling for emotional, family, or personal problems, or any kind of drug or alcohol treatment.

In some cases, a judge could grant permission rather than a parent.

The bill restores parents’ control over their children, said Rep. Val Stevens, R-Arlington, a sponsor of the bill.

“Parents aren’t given rights. They have rights, which have been taken from them by the state, and need to be restored.”

From teen work rules issued by the state Department of Labor and Industries to school curriculum and state abortion polices, parents have been pushed out of the business of raising their own children, backers of the bill say.

The bill covers more ground than another parents’ rights bill, panned by parents at a public hearing last week. That bill, HB2216, actually erodes more rights than it restores, critics said.

House Speaker Clyde Ballard, R-Wenatchee, said a parents’ rights bill is needed because “some schools welcome parents’ involvement, but others just pour more concrete in the bunker.”

Educators and abortion rights advocates argue a parents’ rights bill would actually hurt children, not help them.

“If kids have to get their parents’ permission, they won’t get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. If they aren’t tested, they won’t be treated. And if they aren’t treated, the disease will spread and more young people will be hurt,” said Theresa Connor of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Washington.

Requiring parents’ consent for abortion also could drive young girls afraid to talk to their parents to desperate alternatives, including self-induced abortion, Connor warned.

“Most kids tell their parents, and when they don’t, there’s usually a good reason.”

Some Spokane educators didn’t see any need for the parents’ rights bill because parents already are involved in their children’s education.

“On occasion, maybe a parent becomes very irate and they aren’t allowed in the teacher’s classroom because they have behaved in a threatening way, ranting and raving,” said Jerry Hopkins, president of the Spokane Education Association.

“But if people are saying parents have been shut out of schools and can’t participate, it’s just not true.”

Hopkins also said he sees merit in limiting the hours youths work. “It’s been a problem for a long time that kids work too much and aren’t alert for school the next day.”

Students who work more than 20 hours a week typically get lower grades, according to a study by the state Department of Labor and Industries.

They also are more prone to substance abuse, sleep depravation, skipping school and violent behavior, the study found.

Youths are injured on the job four times more often than adults, so limiting the hours teens work is a good idea, said Suzanne Taylor, spokeswoman for the Department of Labor and Industries.

, DataTimes