Texas Adoption Law Protects Religious Freedom of Faith-based Adoption Agencies

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: Oct 25, 2017

Texas Adoption Law Protects Religious Freedom of Faith-based Adoption Agencies

Lawmakers in Texas have passed a bill which protects Christian adoption agencies from being forced to place children in homes with same-sex couples.

According to CBN News, Texas lawmakers saw a need for the bill after a same-sex couple in Michigan sued the state because two Christian adoption agencies denied them opportunities to adopt children.

"I really have not faced any discrimination over being gay so calling the agencies and being told that it's our policy not to place kids with same-sex families was pretty hard to hear," said Kristy Dumont, one of the plaintiffs.

However, Scott Collins, of Buckner International, which is a faith-based adoption ministry, said that faith-based agencies don’t want to discriminate against same-sex couples, they simply want the freedom to adhere to their convictions that God designed families to consist of one man and one woman.

"We believe that God's design for a family is a man and a woman. That's our biblically held belief and so, based on that, and with a number of other faith-based providers here in Texas, and obviously with the support of legislature and the governor of Texas, we have been able to secure this extra layer of protection for us to be able to really live out our biblical convictions,” said Collins.

The law has received backlash not only from the LGBT community, but from leaders of other states, some of which have stopped sending employees to Texas and other states with conservative laws because they believe this could be viewed as supporting discrimination.

 

Photo courtesy: ©Thinkstock/adogslifephoto

Publication date: October 25, 2017



Texas Adoption Law Protects Religious Freedom of Faith-based Adoption Agencies