Washington among 20 states that have joined the new Reproductive Freedom Alliance
On Tuesday, governors in 20 states, including Washington, announced the launch of the Reproductive Freedom Alliance, a non-partisan coalition committed to protecting and expanding reproductive health care in their states. According to a news release from Gov. Jay Inslee’s Office, the alliance will work to strengthen reproductive freedom in the face of an “unprecedented assault on abortion access and other forms of reproductive health care by states hostile to abortion rights and judges who are advancing their ideological agenda.” “This is an issue of freedom,” Inslee said in a statement. “Patients must have the freedom to make personal reproductive care decisions for themselves, without interference by activist politicians. Washington is taking strong action to protect these freedoms for every patient and provider in our state, and we are all in on the fight to protect a person’s right to an abortion across the country.” Continue reading at The Olympian.

Opinion: To know abuse without taking action is to condone abuse
There is nothing sacred about protecting child abuse. Sadly, we know that doing the right thing for the right thing’s sake is not always the case. Enter House Bill 1098, sponsored by state Rep. Amy Walen, and companion bill Senate Bill 5280, sponsored by Sen. Noel Frame, a childhood abuse survivor herself. Adding clergy to the list of mandated reporters with a giant asterisk should be unacceptable. To know abuse without taking action is to condone abuse — and to call acknowledging or providing a safe haven for a known abuser “sacred” or part of a spiritual practice should be unconscionable. Continuing to exempt religious activity that can give coverage to abuse, is to encourage complicity. As long as religious leaders are seen as trusted adults in the community, they must be held to the standards that come with that privilege and responsibility. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Mark Weber)

WA may soon expand dual-credit programs for high schoolers
The Washington Legislature is considering four bills this session to expand access to education programs that could enable nearly every student to earn college credit while in high school. Dual-credit programs, such as Running Start and College in the High School, give students across Washington the opportunity to earn college credit and their high school diploma simultaneously. Overall, they also cost significantly less than traditional four-year universities, for both students and the state. Students who engage in dual-credit programs while in high school are more likely to graduate from high school and to enroll in college and graduate with a degree or credential, according to research focused on expanding equity in higher education. Studies show that dual-credit programs have the biggest impact on students of color and low-income students. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Taija PerryCook)