Sen. Padden is awarded the Cultural Hero Award by (from left to right) Father Robert Spitzer, Camille Pauley, and Steve Lovejoy. Father Spitzer is the former president of Gonzaga University and co-founder of Healing the Culture with Camille Pauley. Steve Lovejoy is a board member of Healing the Culture.

Washington State lawmaker selected for annual recognition

Washington State Senator Mike Padden has been chosen as the recipient of the 2015 “Cultural Hero Award,” an annual recognition sponsored by Healing the Culture, a non-profit pro-life educational group based in the Seattle area.  The award was presented to Senator Padden at Healing the Culture’s annual gala on September 19 at the Bellevue Hilton.

“Mike Padden is living proof that politics can and should be a noble calling,” said Steve Lovejoy, a member of the Healing the Culture Board of Directors.  “Senator Padden has contributed more than three decades of his life to public service: in the State House, as District Court judge in Spokane County, and most recently in the State Senate.”

Camille Pauley, President of Healing the Culture, commented that Senator Padden’s long record of legislative advocacy on behalf of vulnerable human life is an inspiration to those in the pro-life movement.  “Senator Padden is one of those rare figures in the world of politics who follows his moral compass, even when it leads to controversy, even when it means tackling difficult issues that other politicians prefer to avoid.”

Pauley said that among Senator Padden’s key accomplishments are bills that he filed this year to require parental notification before abortions can be performed on minors, and also his sponsorship of a bill to ban so-called “wrongful birth” lawsuits, where doctors are sued for failing to detect disabilities that would have resulted in abortions of “imperfect” babies.

“These bills Senator Padden sponsored in 2015 are just the most recent in a long history of policy initiatives that he has taken over decades in elected office to help create a more decent, just, and humane society,” Pauley said.  “Mahatma Gandhi once said that ‘a nation’s greatness will be measured by how it treats its weakest members.’  Senator Padden is one lawmaker who takes this ethic seriously.  He has been a true statesman, and a tireless advocate for those on the margins of society – especially the unborn, the disabled, and the elderly.  We are honored to recognize him with our 2015 Cultural Hero Award.”