In Matthew 18:6, Jesus warns, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” What’s being proposed in HB 2184, a bill before the Washington legislature, is very dangerous. Are you willing to take a stand to protect our children and grandchildren? We must stop the overt attack on the innocence of childhood by our government! Legislators need to be held to account for invading our families’ sovereignty by disrespecting our right to guide our children with regard to morality and religious beliefs.
HB 2184 is the Comprehensive Sexual Health Education (CSE) bill which is based on the Washington state health and physical education K-12 learning standards (beginning on page 28.). The bill allows an unelected “sexual health education workgroup” to make recommendations concerning CSE. In a September 2019 poll, 58% of those polled voted in opposition to the CSE. LeAnna Benn of Teen-Aid discusses the poll and the widespread concern of the standards here.
There was a hearing on this bill on January 16, 2020. Two hundred people showed up and many more sent in comments. The bill was scheduled for an executive session on January 23, but it has been removed. This does NOT mean the bill is inactive, so we need to continue to act.
Take Action Today!
- Contact the Chair of the House Committee on Education, Rep. Sharon Santos ASAP. Click here for her contact information. Contact Chairperson Santos even if you do not live in her district.
- Contact each member of the Education Committee if your time allows.
- Contact your district legislators at the Hotline: 800-562-6000 (Monday – Friday/8:00 a.m. -7 p.m.) if your time allows. Click here to find your legislator.
Talking points: Primary responsibility for sexual health education is with parents and guardians. HB 2184 invades family rights to personal morality and religious beliefs. While there is an option to excuse children from these classes, that requires adults to be aware and notified, then file a written request. Even if a student is excused from attending the class, this still puts the student at risk of the course content when other children share the information with them or ridicule them for not participating.
Related bill: SB 5395 was passed in Senate in 2019 on a vote of 28 to 21. SB 5395 can be sent to the House and once in the House Education Committee it can be voted out without another hearing.
Take Action Today!
When you contact Chairperson Santos and the members of the House Education Committee concerning HB 2184, let them know you oppose SB 5395, the companion bill to HB 2184. Remember, a bill is not dead until the end of the session and, as with this one, can be reintroduced and moved along.
Please pray that HB 2184 is stopped in committee and does not proceed to the House floor for a vote. Pray that SB 5395 does not go to the House floor for a vote. Also, pray that parents and guardians will take responsibility for the protection of their children and oppose such government aggression into their private lives.
In His Service,
Maureen Richardson
State Director