As the world deals with militants killing innocents in the name of their ideals; as Christians are slaughtered because of their beliefs; as climate activists keep up their ranting about the perceived environmental crimes being committed, which they say are destroying the world; across the globe, politics rules supreme.
For Americans, that’s the focus of just about all news coverage these days, and with the presidential election little more than two months away, we’re slowly being inundated with politics, plans and accusations.
But don’t be fooled. Even though national politics is the focus of our future and much news coverage, state legislatures can proceed with proposing and passing laws they believe are necessary for their citizens.
Nowhere is it more evident than in Sacramento, California, as the Legislature moves toward the day – Aug. 31 – that it must conclude the current agenda for this session.
Given the major problems facing the state in terms of finances, health, water, fires, immigration, crime, education, jobs, taxes and so much more, you might be surprised at some of the bills elected officials are being asked to consider before the deadline.
The six bills noted by the California Family Council (CFC) are measures that are focused on sex, and the Council regards them as the worst bills remaining in Sacramento. All six of them have been introduced by Democrats, all by men except one. The bill lowering the reporting for rape cases was introduced by a woman.
What’s interesting about the bills – besides the fact that they wander into territory most politicians try to avoid – is that there has been virtually no news coverage of the proposals. Given the content of them, it isn’t hard to figure out why – sterilizing drugs, gender change surgeries, allowing men in women’s prisons and lowering penalties for adults who have sex with same-sex minors.
You would think those proposals would have gotten decent news coverage – but not in California. However, they still face a vote in the Legislature, and they’re the ones the CFC has focused on.
The CFC is a religious-based organization with the purpose of informing and educating Californians on public policy issues. Its perspective is based on a biblical worldview, confirmed by objective social and scientific research.
Here’s a look at the six proposed laws the California Legislature faces.
AB 2218 would provide money for sterilizing drugs and surgeries for children and adults with gender dysphoria. It establishes an “LGBT Transgender Wellness Fund” to provide taxpayer money to nonprofits, hospitals, health care clinics and others, including Planned Parenthood, for puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and mastectomies for minors as young as 13, and “sex change” surgery for adults.
The bill originally asked for $15 million to start the fund, but that amount has been removed, the amount to be decided later.
SB 132, giving male inmates the legal right to live in women’s prisons if they claim a “feminine gender identity” – introduced by Sen. Scott Weiner.
SB 145 lowers the penalties for adults who have sex with willing same-sex minors. A judge can decide if the adult has to register as a sex offender if the rapist is younger than 10 years older.
SB 1237 and AB 890 allows non-physicians to do first-trimester surgical and medical abortions. The bills also remove requirements that such procedures be supervised by a doctor.
There are concerns that these bills threaten women’s safety and the lives of unborn children.
AB 1145 lowers the required reporting requirements for some statutory rape cases. This bill would change the reporting requirements for “mandated reporters” if the perpetrator is younger than 21, the minor victim is 16 or older, and the sexual activity is consensual.
This means that a high school teacher, who is a “mandated reporter,” who knows or suspects that a female student is having sex with a 20-year-old man, would no longer be required to report it to authorities.
According to the CFC, this bill is concerning because of how many LGBT organizations are sponsoring social events between young teenagers and young adults.
No doubt the content of the bills should have engendered headlines, which in my mind, shows why the media have avoided decent coverage of the measures. It will be interesting to see how it all turns out, but those in the know about such measures are convinced that if any of these fail to pass, they will be back. After all, this is California – and if anything, sex sells.
Follow Barbara Simpson on Facebook.
