PROP 1: Protecting life beyond birth

It is admirable to want to protect life, but what happens after these children are born?

Not every child is adopted into a loving, stable home. Some are born to parents who are financially or emotionally unprepared to raise them. Many enter an already strained foster care system, where resources are limited. Yet we often see resistance to funding the very services these children need to survive and thrive.

What about the children who experience neglect, trauma, and instability? What about those who age out of foster care without family support, housing, or financial security? Where is the same urgency to protect their futures?

We must also acknowledge the mental health challenges faced by parents who find themselves raising children they were not prepared for, and the lifelong effects these circumstances can have on both parents and children.

If we truly believe every life has value, that belief must extend beyond birth. It must include supporting children, families, foster care, and mental health services.

As you vote on Proposition 1, I urge you to consider not only the life of the unborn child, but the life that child will actually live.

Protecting life should mean more than ensuring a child is born. It should mean ensuring that child has the opportunity to live a safe, healthy, and supported life.

TABITHA DAY

Coeur d’Alene