Texas Adoption Agency 'Religious Refusal' Closer to Law
Texas's Republican-controlled Legislature has pushed closer to law a bill that allows publicly-funded foster care and adoption agencies to refuse to place children with non-Christian, unmarried or gay prospective parents because of religious objections.
May 22, 2017, at 2:27 a.m.
By JIM VERTUNO, Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Republicans pushed the state closer to a law that allows publicly-funded foster care and adoption agencies to refuse to place children with non-Christian, unmarried or gay prospective parents because of religious objections.
The Senate gave final approval early Monday, sending it to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for his consideration.
The "Freedom to Serve Children Act" has received a late push in the Republican-dominated Legislature ahead of the May 29 end of the session. Conservatives have made creating exemptions for sincerely held religious beliefs a major theme this year, with tea-party-backed lawmakers inserting language protecting them in myriad bills, ranging from rules for the practice of law to pharmacists.
The private foster care and adoption organizations, which are paid by the state to place children with families, make up about 25 percent of the agencies working in Texas. Those groups say they face a threat of lawsuits for exercising their religious beliefs if they don't get specific state legal protection.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/texas/articles/2017-05-21/texas-adoption-agency-religious-refusal-closer-to-law
