Families in Washington are stretched and stressed by skyrocketing living costs. Too many families cannot find affordable housing or childcare and face impossible decisions like whether to skip a doctor's visit or not fill a prescription due to increasing healthcare costs.
We worry about our kids' future, and how they are doing in the midst of a youth mental health crisis spurred on by unhealthy doses of social media, among other factors.
With massive cuts to healthcare and social services by the Trump administration, it’s more important than ever that our schools are a healthy, safe space for our children to learn, socialize and thrive physically, emotionally and academically.
But now, not one, not two, but three political initiatives on our ballot this election threaten to increase the risk of harm while cutting resources available to support kids. Backers of these measures are playing politics and putting kids in harm’s way.
With our 3.7 million members across the country, Moms Rising is fighting these MAGA initiatives. To protect children, here’s what you should know:
• Initiative 645, sponsored by Brian Heywood, a multimillionaire hedge fund manager, would give a tax cut to the state's richest 1% by repealing the "millionaires tax." Despite Heywood’s attempt to hide the fiscal impact statement from appearing on the ballot with this measure, he lost in court.
Voters need to understand the impact of repealing the millonaires tax would be the loss of billions of dollars that are meant for public schools, childcare, free school meals for many K-12 students, tax credits for working families, and tax cuts for most small businesses. No wonder I-645 is opposed by thousands of teachers at the Washington Education Association, the Children’s Alliance, the League of Women Voters and many more.
Initiative 001 is being sold as “parents’ rights,” but, if approved by voters, it would weaken parents’ rights by removing immediate parental notification if their kid is the victim of a crime at school. It would also put child abuse victims at greater risk, and force schools to “out” LGBTQ+ kids to unsupportive families.
According to school counselors and nurses, this measure will worsen student mental health by discouraging students from seeking help from a trained, trusted adult at school. That’s why I-001 is opposed by the Washington State PTA, the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, school counselors and nurses, and law enforcement officers.
I-638 is the most extreme MAGA initiative of its kind in the U.S. Contrary to the sponsor's message about protecting girls’ sports, this initiative’s impact would be to discourage girls from playing sports. I-638 means invasive sex inspections for girls who want to play elementary, middle and high school sports. Boys are exempt.
The measure is a knockoff of Elon Musk’s $100 million campaign vilifying vulnerable trans kids to distract voters from the real issues we are all concerned with. As a result, I-638 would coerce tens of thousands of school-age girls into humiliating and medically unnecessary exams each year, just to exclude 5-10 trans girls from playing school sports with their friends. This initiative is also strongly opposed by the Washington State PTA, Washington State Nurses Association, League of Women Voters, and more than 100 family doctors and pediatricians.
As a mother of three and passionate advocate for all children, I urge you to vote no, no and no on initiatives 645, 001 and 638 when you receive your ballot in the mail in just a couple of weeks.
Lauren Hipp is national director of early learning and Washington state for MomsRising.org
