Faith-Based Adoption Agencies Continue to Stand Up for Religious Liberty

Recently Reuters published an article highlighting the legal battle over faith-based adoption agencies that decline to place children with same-sex couples.

Nationwide, we have seen efforts at the state and local levels to force Christian adoption agencies to violate their deeply-held convictions about family and child welfare.

In Michigan, for example, St. Vincent Catholic Charities and Bethany Christian Services both found themselves at odds with government policies over the placement of adoptive and foster children.

At World magazine, Jamie Dean wrote last October,

“[E]arlier this year, the Christian groups faced a government ultimatum: accept applications from same-sex couples for foster care and foster care adoption or lose the legal right to conduct foster care in Michigan. The Catholic group refused. Bethany complied. “

Since then, Dean writes, St. Vincent has challenged the government policies and won a preliminary injunction in its favor in September.

A similar case is playing out in Philadelphia, where city officials have targeted faith-based adoption and foster care agencies.

According to Reuters, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the Philadelphia case during its next term that begins in October.

And late last year the federal Department of Health and Human Services proposed a new rule that lets adoption and foster care agencies operate according to their religious beliefs.

The rule might help give faith-based adoption agencies a reprieve from being targeted for their beliefs.

We know from experience that children raised in same-sex households do not fare as well as children raised with a married mom and dad.

A 2015 study published in the British Journal of Education, Society, and Behavioral Research concluded that emotional problems were more than twice as prevalent among children with same-sex parents as opposed to children with opposite-sex parents.

Among other things, the study found children ages 4 – 17 years with same-sex parents were more likely:

  • To see a mental health professional;
  • To report higher rates of ADHD;
  • To suffer from learning disabilities;
  • To suffer from serious emotional problems.

To put it simply, there’s no substitute for having a mom and a dad.

Federal Officials Move to Protect Faith-Based Adoption Agencies

Last week the federal Department of Health and Human Services proposed a new rule that lets adoption and foster care agencies operate according to their religious beliefs.

The proposal helps roll back Obama-era attempts to force Christian adoption and foster care agencies to place children with same-sex couples despite the agencies’ deeply-held religious convictions regarding marriage and family.

Our friends at Focus on the Family’s Daily Citizen writes,

While these developments are extremely positive, the impact may be a bit limited. Lori Windham of the Becket Law Firm, explains:

“HHS just proposed a regulation that will allow faith-based adoption and foster care providers to serve their communities consistent with their religious beliefs. That’s a smart thing to do, but it would only fix part of the problem. … Unfortunately, state and local governments use similar rules to try and shut down faith-based agencies. Faith-based agencies therefore still need help from SCOTUS.”

State rules have already forced some Christian adoption agencies to choose between obeying their faith and obeying the government.

In Michigan, for example, St. Vincent Catholic Charities and Bethany Christian Services both have found themselves at odds with government policies over the placement of adoptive and foster children.

At World magazine, Jamie Dean writes,

“[E]arlier this year, the Christian groups faced a government ultimatum: accept applications from same-sex couples for foster care and foster care adoption or lose the legal right to conduct foster care in Michigan. The Catholic group refused. Bethany complied. “

Since then, Dean writes, St. Vincent has challenged the government policies and won a preliminary injunction in their favor in September.

A similar case is playing in Philadelphia where city officials have targeted faith-based adoption and foster care agencies.

In February Arkansas state Senator Alan Clark (R – Lonsdale) filed S.B. 352. The bill was intended to protect faith-based adoption and foster care services in Arkansas, but it ultimately was referred for study and discussion during the interim between now and 2021.

All of this underscores that while a federal rule change is good, religious liberty must be protected at the state level as well.

You can read more about the federal government’s proposed rule change here.