By Ari Hoffman – The Post Millennial
Washington state’s Department of Health has launched the “Teen Health Hub” to help teens find resources for “gender-affirming care,” abortion, and sex-related health content. The hub’s website provides resources for minors to learn about health-related services they can obtain without a parent’s or guardian’s consent and helps the children navigate the process.
According to Conservative Ladies of Washington, the hub guides minors through getting Apple Care insurance and finding a provider. The site even provides resources for free transportation. Services linked through the hub include providers such as AMAZE, Planned Parenthood, and The Trevor Project.
The Washington State Department of Health’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC) stated, “The Hub features resources covering topics carefully selected by the YAC. Teens can find information about physical, sexual, and reproductive health; mental and behavioral health. and dating and relationships. It also has information about young people’s health care rights in Washington.”
The hub was launched in December 2023, months after Washington state Democrats passed SB 5599, which allows shelters or host homes to provide housing for runaway minors without being required to notify their parents if they have a “compelling reason” to keep the information a secret. According to the legislation, a “compelling reason” means “the youth is in the host home or seeking placement in a host home to receive protected health care services,” including “gender-affirming” care and “maternity services” that can be received without parental consent and provided at taxpayer expense.
The bill, which opponents called “state-sanctioned kidnapping” does not require proof of abuse in the household nor even an allegation of abuse. Therefore, merely seeking “protected health care services” is enough of a reason to keep the runaway’s location hidden from parents, enabling children between the ages of 13 and 18 to stay at these facilities without their parents’ knowledge for an indefinite time while seeking services related to gender dysphoria and gender transitioning.
The bill was championed by far-left Democratic state Senator Marko Liias and signed into law by Democratic Governor Jay Inslee. According to the YAC, “Within the first week of its December 2023 launch, the promotional social media posts had more than 10,000 views. As of May 2024, the views have reached nearly 300,000. The project has also received state and national recognition from public health leaders, including an Excellence in Adolescent Health Award from the University of Michigan’s Adolescent Health Initiative.”
SB 5599 was compounded by ESSB 5883, which the Democratic-controlled Legislature passed in 2022, allowing “homeless youth” to access healthcare services without parent knowledge or consent. This was followed up by the passage of HB 1469, which prohibits the issuance of out-of-state subpoenas, criminal investigations, and out-of-state arrests seeking information related to abortion & reproductive health care services. It also prohibits the governor from extraditing any person for out-of-state charges regarding reproductive health care services and provides a method to recoup damages and legal costs for out-of-state lawsuits related to reproductive health care services, as well as shields health care service providers from lawsuits or prosecution for providing protected health care services.
In the most recent blog post, the YAC stated it is aiming to make the hub well-known in schools, community centers, and libraries.