Youth services and civil rights groups are suing to block a new Washington state parental rights law that is set to take effect next month. Critics describe the law as a “forced outing” measure. It requires schools to notify parents in advance of medical services offered to their child, except in emergencies.
FILE - The Washington State Capitol building is seen on the first day of the legislative session, Jan. 8, 2024, in Olympia, Wash. SEATTLE — A group of youth services organizations, a school district, a counselor and others sued Thursday to block a new Washington stateA conservative megadonor backed the law, which is set to take effect in June.
Most of the rights Initiative 2081 granted to parents were already covered by state or federal law, but in some cases it expanded them. Brian Heywood, a conservative hedge fund manager who finances the Let’s Go Washington political action committee, said the lawsuit seeks to “trample the rights of parents.” The measure, he said, isn’t designed to give parents veto power over their child’s decision to access counseling or medical treatment: “It’s just saying they have a right to know.”
In Washington, citizen initiatives that garner enough signatures can be directed to the Legislature. Lawmakers can then pass them, let voters decide or offer voters an alternative measure. Heywood’s group pushed six initiatives this year, including ones that would overturn the state’s capital gains tax and its climate law, which established a “cap and invest” carbon market.
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