Should faith-based adoption agencies be able to turn away gay parents? In the state of Arkansas, the answer is yes. Arkansas adoption groups will no longer be forced to place children in homes with LGBTQ+ parents, thanks to a new law.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has signed the Keep Kids First Act, preventing the state from forcing faith-based adoption agencies to “perform, assist, counsel, recommend, consent to, refer, or participate in any placement of a child for foster care or adoption when the proposed placement would violate the private child placement agency's sincerely held religious or moral beliefs.”
The law also bars the state from blocking prospective adoptive parents with biblical views on same-sex attraction and marriage on the grounds they may not support a gay or transgender child.
Conservative Christians are championing the ruling as a win for religious freedom. Meanwhile, critics argue that the law legalizes discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, and harms children by reducing the amount of prospective adoptive parents.
Should Christian adoption agencies be able to legally discriminate?
A Religious Freedom Win…?
“Every child deserves a loving home that can provide them stability and opportunities to grow. Yet other states have put politics over people by excluding caring families and faith-based adoption and foster care organizations from helping children find loving homes,” said Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Greg Chafuen, who helped propel the bill to the governor’s desk.
As they put it, the bill supports “the well-being of kids by prohibiting state and local government officials from discriminating against adoption and foster care providers and parents simply because of their religious beliefs and moral convictions,” and ends what they view as blatant religious discrimination against faithful Christians.
Religious activist group Focus on the Family echoed this sentiment, calling the bill a major win for kids:
“Various states have forced Christians out of the foster care and adoption system if they believe in God’s male-female design for humanity, and in biblical sexuality. This is especially foolish, given that Christians are – by far – the most likely to engage with the foster care system or adopt. We applaud… Gov. Sanders’ decision to enact bills protecting Christian foster and adoptive parents from discrimination.”
…Or Legalized Discrimination?
On the other hand, critics contend the bill is harmful; It not only needlessly limits the amount of available parents in an already overburdened adoption system, it also overtly discriminates against LGBTQ+ couples, they say.
“Instead of enshrining discrimination into law, our state should be working to ensure that every child in Arkansas has the opportunity to grow up in a safe, loving home,” wrote the American Civil Liberties Union, who opposed the bill, in a statement. “Every qualified family should have the opportunity to open their hearts and homes to a child — regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.”
All this bill does, they say, is “allow foster care and adoption agencies in our state to discriminate against LGBTQ Arkansans by denying them services simply because of who they are.”
What’s Best for Kids?
When it comes to Christian adoption agencies with biblical views on sexuality and marriage, and the rights of LGBTQ+ couples not to be discriminated against… Who should win? This issue isn’t going away, as questions around the limits of religious freedom continue to spark heated debate – and legislative responses.
Two years ago, a Massachusetts-based Catholic couple sued the state, alleging that their adoption application was denied because of their religious views – specifically, their belief that marriage is between one man and one woman, as well as for expressing anti-transgender sentiment.
And last year, Tennessee passed a bill allowing anti-LGBTQ+ parents to adopt kids who identify as LGBTQ+, which critics argued was not only morally wrong, but dangerous for children.
What is your reaction? Should faith-based adoption agencies be able to reject prospective LGBTQ+ parents simply on the basis of their sexuality? And should they be able to adopt out LGBTQ+ kids to Christian parents who won’t affirm their sexuality or gender identity?
13 comments
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Michael Bernard Wolf
Homosexuality IS a sin against God. You can't follow Scripture and then say homosexuality is okay because God created woman for man as a partner in life, God did not create another man for that purpose. People who turn to homosexuality do so as their choice of how they want to live, just like a person turns to crime and becomes a criminal, it is a choice. Criminal action is against the law of the land, homosexuality is against the laws of Scripture and God. It is what it is and you can choose to side with Scripture or with the LBGTQ but IMO you can't have it both ways. I also DO NOT believe a Gay person should preach from the pulpit and that is not changing anytime soon.
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Merlin
Loose your righteousness! It’s all about Money.
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Michael Bernard Wolf
Comment removed by user.
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CB Cuff
"The only way a Christian Adoption agency couldn't refuse is if, they are getting federal monies." Most, if not all 'private' schools receive government monies. They blatantly discriminate against those who don't agree/conform to their way of thinking, and get away with it. In Canada, specifically BC, tentative foster parents are required mandatory training which address's this issue, and any other concerns which may and do arise in homes which have strong religious overtones. For better or worse, children are moved from those homes when non-compliance is reported/observed. Best interest of the children comes first, not religious beliefs. Discrimination in various forms is present in most private adoption and foster care agencies in the US and Canada.
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Pastor Jim
Yes, Christian adoption agencies are experts at pairing adoptive children to potential parents and can be trusted to do what is good and appropriate for all concerned.
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Bishop William Dusenberry, DD
“Conservative Christians are championing the ruling as a win for religious freedom.” Where’s there “religious freedom?” Certainly it in the USA. Until anyone bringing up (socializing) under-aged children— faces charges involving child abuse, for trying to indoctrinate a child, into this specific religion or that — there’s no religious freedom in the USA, period— we allow religious indoctrination, which is clearly brainwashing in the USA, and if the parents don’t want to personally rainwash their own kids, their Sunday Schools will do so for them.
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Najah P Tamargo
Najah Tamargo-USA
Every child deserves a loving and safe family. I have known LBGTQ+ parents and they are better than some I've known who weren't. Leave the children alone and keep religion out of it!
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Wilberta M. Berry
Well, the reality is Christian Agencies are private institutions. They can set their own rules. The Supreme Court made that perfectly clear when they ruled a privately owned bakery could refuse to made wedding cakes for gay couples. The only way a Christian Adoption agency couldn't refuse is if, they are getting federal monies. However, with this current regime occupying the White House and their ignorant stance on gay rights, they would 100% support that level of discrimination. I will never understand why people vote against their own interests. I guess hatred is the motivation. Thinking the monster in the white house was only going to harm people of color. Well the monster doesn't care about anyone who isn't a billionaire.🤷🏼♀️
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Rev. MichaelRS
You never hear these arguments against anybody else except Christians and/or white people.
No one ever argue against Muslim based adoption agencies placing children with Muslim families or black run adoption agencies that wish to place black children with black families.
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Stacey Owens
It sad that people in this country think that their righteousness is the righteousness of God. I wonder if they even know the will of God. They act as if the know what going on in the life of these people. Passing judgment not knowing the truth of them. Yet doing the same thing. The problem is its the job they hold. It has become the unbelief. It will judge them. So no one is excused. All the world will stand guilty before God. Turn to Jesus Christ, he is our righteousness before the Father of glory. Only grace can save us, not judgment. Because grace is the love of God.
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SueW
I’m not really clear on whether you’re for, or against.
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Rev. MichaelRS
The only Insight we have to the will of God is the scriptures.
If one wishes to argue against them...well then there you go.
Otherwise it is what it is
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Michael Hunt
The Christian Right legalizing discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community and putting queer children with families who will not accept the reality of the child's sexuality is a direct attack against this community and it's going to do untold damage to children who simply want a loving home. Shame on Arkansas and Tennessee for putting Christianity above a child's well being.
My entire career was spent in health care where I quickly observed that I was surrounded by gay docs and nurses who were outstandingly loving and caring. Those are the women and men who become loving and caring adoptive parents --- and that's not limited to health care gays. I believe their track record for giving children a stable home life is better than heterosexual couples with lower divorce rates and less spousal abuse. My personal experience working with gay parents has been uniformly favorable and good for children who desperately need loving parents.