Child Welfare Provider Protections

This bill would have required the state to allow licensed adoption or foster care agencies, foster parents, or adoptive parents to discriminate against certain groups, parents, youth, or children if the discrimination is based on the licensee’s religious beliefs. For instance, this would have allowed adoption or foster care agencies to refuse to work with parents who are members of a particular faith, race, or social group (such as the LGBTQ community) who want to foster or adopt through the agency. It would have also allowed a foster parent to force a foster child or youth to adhere to the family’s religious practices and worship even if the child, youth, or their parent objected.