Do Religiously Affiliated Adoption Agencies Have The Right To Deny Adoptions To LGBT Couples?

In 2015, the United States Supreme Court ruled that a ban on same-sex marriages is unconstitutional and that same-sex couples have the right to get married. You would think this means that these couples have the same rights as heterosexual ones, but this is unfortunately not the case in all 50 states. Several states have passed or proposed legislation which allows religiously affiliated adoption agencies to refuse to allow same-sex couples to adopt children. LGBT advocacy groups argue that these types of bills amount to discrimination.

What States Have Laws Against LGBT Adoptions?

In May, Oklahoma and Kansas became the latest states to pass a bill allowing private adoption agencies to discriminate against LGBT couples for religious reasons when placing children. Colorado is currently considering passing similar legislation. The Oklahoma law allows agencies to choose not to place children in certain types of homes if doing so “would violate the agency’s written religious or moral convictions or policies.”

Seven other states have already passed similar legislation:

• Texas
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Virginia 
• Michigan
• Alabama
• Mississippi

Other Forms of Discriminatory Anti-LGBT Laws

In related news, the Supreme Court recently ruled that Christian bakers have the right to refuse to make wedding cakes for LGBT couples. This is a similar form of discrimination and the controversial decision has been harshly rebuked by constitutionalists and civil rights groups.

A majority of states also allow discrimination against LGBT couples seeking employment, housing, and public accommodations. Unfortunately, while the Supreme Court same-sex ruling was a major victory in the struggle for LGBT rights, we still need to work to dismantle statewide legislation which allows for legal discrimination of the LGBT community across the country.

These anti-LGBT adoption laws draw outrage, but fortunately, many states have been rejecting similar laws and protecting the rights of their LGBT constituents. Lawmakers throughout the country have derailed several efforts to discriminate against the LGBT community:

• South Dakota and Tennessee lawmakers successfully derailed efforts to restrict bathroom access to transgender youth.
• Indiana lawmakers defeated attempts to prohibit discussions of LGBT issues in Indiana schools.
• Georgia lawmakers struck down legislation to give adoption and foster care agencies the right to discriminate against LGBT parents.

Hopefully these rejections of anti-LGBT laws are a sign of times to come. If voters reject these proposals and make their voices heard at the polls, perhaps these laws can be repealed.

To learn more about adoptions, contact our Adoptions From The Heart offices in:

Greensburg, PA (Pittsburgh)

1225 S. Main St #207

Greensburg, PA 15601

(724) 853-6533

Philadelphia, PA

30 Hampstead Cir 

Wynnewood, PA 19096  

(610) 642-7200

Allentown, PA    

2212 Union Blvd     

Allentown, PA 18109      

(610) 432-2384

Chesapeake, Virginia 

1407 Stephanie Way #H

Chesapeake, Virginia 23320

(757) 361-0008

Glastonbury, Connecticut 

703 Hebron Ave #1

Glastonbury, CT 06033

(860) 657-2626

Harrisburg/Lancaster, PA

1525 Oregon Pike 

Lancaster, PA 17601

(717) 399-7766

Cherry Hill, New Jersey

451 Woodland Ave

Cherry Hill, NJ 08002

(856) 665-5655

Wilmington, Delaware 

18A Trolley Square

Wilmington, DE 19806

(302) 658-8883