With Increasing Attacks on Faith-Based Adoption Agencies, It’s Time for Congress to Follow Texas’ Lead

Adoption family with child (620-240)

The following post was written by Texas Values 2018 Summer intern Carolyn Stritzke.  If you are interested in applying for an internship with Texas Values, you can find more information here.

Recently, as we saw in New York, state governments and LGBT organizations have started targeting faith-based adoption agencies. Because these adoption agencies operate according to their faith and place children in married households with a mother and father, many have lost government funding or faced lawsuits. Some have even had to close their doors, making it harder for children to find their forever home.

In Texas, Texas Values worked with legislators on a law to protect these faith-based agencies. With the support of many pro-family groups and bi-partisan support in the Texas legislature, the Freedom to Serve Children Act was passed, protecting the religious freedom of adoption and child welfare organizations. Now they can place children with good traditional families without facing pressure to ignore their moral beliefs. This is great news for Texans, but unfortunately for those outside of Texas, this law only protects them on the state level.

Following Texas’s lead, bills have been introduced on the federal level to extend these religious liberty protections nationwide. The Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act has been added to the House Health and Human Services Appropriation, or spending bill, as the Aderholt Amendment. Spending related bills are referred to as “must pass legislation” because if they don’t pass, the government will shut down.

This increases the likelihood the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act will be voted into law as members of Congress want to keep the government open. The fight is far from over, however, as both the House and Senate still needs to vote favorably on the bill before it can be signed into law by the President.

Faith-based adoption agencies are under attack. The Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act can protect them from these attempts to take away their religious freedom, but we need your support to make certain these protections are passed. Contact your Senator and Representative today and let them know to cosponsor H.R. 1881 and support the Aderholt Amendment.

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