September 5, 2018  Dena Jensen

11 days and 11 easy reasons now that Doug’s Got to Go. 

Today’s reason is that Republican State Senator Doug Ericksen (and our two current 42nd LD Representatives, also up for re-election) voted against a law banning conversion therapy by licensed health care providers on patients under age eighteen, that would spare minors of any sexual identity in our state from this type of abuse. 

Here is the opening of the bill as it was, no thanks to Senator Ericksen, fortunately passed by the legislature earlier this year and was signed into law on March 28, 2018 by Governor Inslee. 

“BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

“NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature intends to regulate the professional conduct of licensed health care providers with respect to performing conversion therapy on patients under age eighteen. 

“(2) The legislature finds and declares that Washington has a compelling interest in protecting the physical and psychological well-being of minors, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth, and in protecting its minors against exposure to serious harms caused by conversion therapy. “

Here is the link to the Washington State Legislature page regarding SB 5722 – 2017-18: http://apps2.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5722&Year=2017&BillNumber=5722&Year=2017#documentSection

And here is the link to the ISPY page which is handy for looking up how our legislators are voting: https://votesmart.org/bill/24360/62507/26187/prohibits-conversion-therapy-on-minors#.W5B61y2ZOcY

View this post in the Noisy Waters Northwest Facebook group here.