By TIM BARTO
The assault on parental rights continues, this time from Sen. Cathy Giessel, a registered Republican and someone who just a few years ago presented herself as something of a conservative.
That presentation should most certainly no longer fool anyone as the Anchorage senator’s journey to the dark side is now complete; her latest tactic puts on full display her alignment with those who feel parents are secondary to public school officials.
Senate Bill 240 was a simple, straightforward bill presented by Gov. Mike Dunleavy to allow Medicaid-eligible students with disabilities to access medical services through their schools. Sen. David Wilson of Wasilla helped carry the bill on behalf of the governor, but Sen. Giessel then amended the bill into something it was not meant to be, causing Sen. Wilson to pull his support.
The amended bill allows for 16-year-old students to authorize for themselves counseling services without notification being made to their parents, continuing a trend that excludes parents from not only making important health decisions in their children’s lives but from even knowing about those decisions. This is a dangerous path of subjugating parental rights and responsibilities to government entities.
..there are other elements at play. The explosion of gender-related interests among young people – including the exploration and encouragement of non-traditional sex roles, as well as transition therapy – has made it trendy for young people to identify on an ever expanding spectrum of sexual identities.
And now, the substituted language in SB240 kicks open the door to allow minors (teenagers, but still minors) to obtain mental health counseling without parental consent, and that open door reveals all those gender-bending issues so popular among today’s youth.