Bishops urge conscience protection for child welfare agencies

Last updated on: August 1, 2014 at 11:18 pm by CNA Daily News

Bishops urge conscience protection for child welfare agencies 2014-08-01T23:18:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Washington D.C., Aug 1, 2014 / 05:18 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Three committee chairmen of the U.S. Bishops’ Conference are strongly supporting a new bill that protects the conscience rights of child welfare agencies.

“As you know, our first and most cherished freedom, religious liberty, is to be enjoyed by all Americans, including child welfare providers who serve the needs of our most vulnerable – children,” stated the letter from the bishops to the lawmakers who introduced the bill, Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.).

“Rightly, the Inclusion Act protects the religious liberties and moral convictions of all child welfare providers.”

The letter was authored by Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco, chair of the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage; Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, who chairs the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty; and Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami, chair of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.

The proposed bill, The Child Welfare Inclusion Act, would ensure that adoption and foster care agencies cannot be denied contracts or grants from states and the federal government simply because of their religious beliefs.

In Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, Illinois, and California, faith-based agencies have been denied federally-funded contracts because they will only match children with a mother and a father.

According to the Daily Signal, some 2,000 children were displaced from their original adoption and foster care agencies when a combination of state laws forced Illinois religious organizations to end their contracts with the state rather than place children with same-sex couples.

The bishops maintained that parents should be able to choose from many different child welfare agencies, including those that honor marriage as the union of man and woman.

“Indeed, women and men who want to place their children for adoption ought to be able to choose from a diversity of adoption agencies, including those that share the parents’ religious beliefs and moral convictions,” they said.

Refusing contracts to those agencies hurts both the children and couples, said Sen. Mike Enzi, who helped sponsor the bill in the Senate.

“Faith-based charities and organizations do an amazing job of administering adoption, foster care and a host of other services,” he said in a July 30 statement. “Limiting their work because someone might disagree with what they believe only ends up hurting the families they could be bringing together.”

“This bill is about fairness and inclusion,” said Rep. Mike Kelly who introduced it in the House. “It is about ensuring that everyone who wants to help provide foster or adoptive care to children is able to have a seat at the table.”

Previous Post

August 1, 2014

Education crucial to limiting Ebola outbreak, relief agency says

Next Post

August 2, 2014 Pakistani Catholics foster dialogue, fellowship with Muslims

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who refused to bow to the king's statue and was thrown in the fire?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Joseph Paul Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego Daniel