Washington State Catholic Conference bans parishes from gathering signatures against anti-parental rights, pro-child sex change bill

The Washington State Catholic Conference (WSCC) is refusing to allow parishes to collect signatures in an effort to repeal legislation passed by the Democratic majority that encourages minors to run away from home to receive abortions or gender reassignment surgeries without parental consent and at taxpayer expense.

In a June 15 letter to Washington pastors obtained by The Post Millennial, the WSCC, the lobbying branch of the Catholic Bishops of Washington stated, “We have received recent inquiries regarding referendum 101 also known as the ‘Reject 5599’ campaign. This campaign seeks to overturn Senate Bill 5599 which passed during the recent 2023 legislative session.”



“Washington State Catholic Conference is taking no position on this referendum. This means that signatures may not be collected at parishes.”

In the letter to pastors, WSCC Executive Director Mario Villanueva acknowledged that under SB 5599 “parents do not need to be notified if a child is seeking protective health care services namely if a youth is seeking an abortion or gender-affirming care parents or legal guardians do not need to be notified.”

Villanueva added, “…the WSCC certainly supports individual parishioners signing the petition if they choose to do so,” but stressed “…because the measure is unlikely to be successful, we are not actively encouraging parishes to take action on this referendum.”

State Rep. Travis Couture (R-Allyn) told the Post Millennial in a statement, "This letter from the Washington State Catholic Conference is a bizarre and transparent attempt at slowing the growing momentum of the R-101 campaign. People are rushing across Washington to gather signatures to reject SB 5599 and protect parental rights, and WSCC blatantly attempts to hinder those efforts a month before signatures are due - with no real knowledge of how many signatures were collected." 

Couture, who was one of the most vocal opponents of SB 5599, added, "WSCC's stance is at extreme odds with the beliefs of Catholics, pastors, and the Catholic faith. WSCCs stance is a harsh political decision, not a decision that respects the faith-based views of their congregations." 

"I urge WSCC to reverse course on their decision and assist the protection of parental rights, vulnerable kids, and their faith."  

Despite massive pushback, protests, and letter-writing campaigns, Washington Democratic Governor Jay Inslee signed the controversial SB 5599 into law in May in a small closed event at the state Capitol.

According to the legislation introduced by far-left Democratic State Sen. Marko Liias, the bill will allow shelters or host homes to provide housing for runaway minors without being required to notify their parents if they have a "compelling reason" meaning "the youth is in the host home or seeking placement in a host home to receive protected health care services."

SB 5599 allows shelters to contact the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) instead of the parents should the child be seeking sex change or reproductive services and does not require proof of abuse in the household, nor even an allegation of abuse.

As a result, seeking "protected health care services" is enough of a reason to keep the runaway’s location hidden from parents and allows children between the ages of 13 and 18 to stay at these facilities without their parents’ knowledge for an indefinite period of time while seeking services related to gender dysphoria and gender transitioning.

Republican legislators unanimously voted against the bill.

Senate Republican Leader John Braun said in a statement when the bill passed, “Children between the ages of 13 and 18 can already access these same health and mental health services under Washington law, without their parents’ permission. The only thing SB 5599 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.”

He added, "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. It’s also wrong how this bill would also apply to children from other states who may travel thousands of miles for services not available to them at home. Unless there is reason to suspect parental abuse or harm, parents deserve to know where their teenagers are."

Braun noted that when “SB 5599 received a hearing before the Senate Human Services Committee on Feb. 6, more than 4,700 people signed in with an opinion on the bill – and 98 percent were opposed, including parents from the LGBTQ community.”