Foster Care Archives - American Atheists

This National Foster Care Month, End Religious Exemptions in Adoption and Foster Care!

American Atheists — Wed, 26 May 2021 22:27:38 +0000

May is National Foster Care Month—a time to recognize the importance of families and lift up the voices of youth in foster care. Adoption and foster care programs exist to serve the best interests of vulnerable children, and yet there are 11 states that allow religious child placement agencies to discriminate. The John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act would fix this problem by prohibiting discrimination based on religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and marital status in the adoption and foster care system. No longer could taxpayer funded adoption and foster care agencies cite religion to discriminate against atheist or LGBTQ children and potential parents. Please contact your Senators and Representative and tell them to end religious exemptions and discrimination in adoption and foster care! This bill will help hundreds of thousands of children and youths find safe environments and eventually their forever families, free from religious coercion and discrimination. Currently, there are over 400,000 children who need placement in our foster care system and about 125,000 children waiting to be adopted into a forever family. Allowing discrimination against qualified families based on the religious beliefs of others reduces the number of available families and harms these vulnerable children. The John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act will also protect young people in child welfare systems from religious coercion, such as coercive religious conversion and dangerous conversion therapy. This National Foster Care Month, please ask your Senators and Representatives to support the John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act! Together we can help each child find a forever home, free from religious coercion. We must prioritize the best interests of children—not those who would discriminate against them.

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The Supreme Court Could Blow a Hole in Church/State Separation Next Term

American Atheists — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 20:36:23 +0000

Washington, D.C.—Today, American Atheists warned about Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, an upcoming Supreme Court case that could allow religious organizations broad exemptions and unfettered freedom to ignore nondiscrimination laws. Catholic Social Services, a foster-care agency, is suing the city of Philadelphia, claiming it is entitled to a taxpayer-funded contract to place children in foster care despite the agency’s refusal to comply with the city’s nondiscrimination requirements. “Catholic Social Services wants to turn away atheist, LGBTQ, and religious minority parents yet demands government funding to promote and normalize their discriminatory behavior. This is beyond absurd,” said Alison Gill, Vice President for Legal and Policy at American Atheists. “As bad as that is, if they were to prevail, the ripple effects would be even more disastrous. Discriminatory religious groups would have free reign to ignore the laws they don’t like and demand government money while refusing to serve all Americans,” added Gill. “Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, and atheists—we all need to follow the same laws,” said Nick Fish, president of American Atheists. “If the Supreme Court sides with discrimination, they’ll be putting religious dogma above the interests of the most vulnerable children and the rights of all Americans.”

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This National Adoption Month, End Religious Exemptions in Adoption and Foster Care!

American Atheists — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 16:24:59 +0000

November is National Adoption Month—a time to recognize the importance of families and lift up the voices of youth in foster care. Adoption and foster care programs exist to serve the best interests of vulnerable children, and yet there are 10 states that allow religious child placement agencies to discriminate. The Every Child Deserves a Family Act (S.1791/H.R. 3114) would fix this problem by prohibiting discrimination based on religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and marital status in the adoption and foster care system. No longer could taxpayer funded adoption and foster care agencies cite religion to discriminate against atheist or LGBTQ children and potential parents. Please contact your Senators and Representative and tell them to stop religious exemptions and discrimination in adoption and foster care! This bill will help hundreds of thousands of children and youths to find safe environments and to eventually find their forever families, free from religious coercion and discrimination. Currently, there are over 400,000 children who need placement in our foster care system and about 125,000 children waiting to be adopted into a forever family. Allowing discrimination against qualified families based on the religious beliefs of others reduces the number of available families and harms these vulnernable children. The Every Child Deserves a Family Act will also protect young people in child welfare systems from religious coercion, such as coercive religious conversion and dangerous conversion therapy. This National Adoption Month, please ask your Senators and Representative to support the Every Child Deserves a Family Act! Together we can help each child find a forever home, free from religious coercion. We must prioritize the best interests of children—not those who would discriminate against them.

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HHS Nominee Elizabeth Darling Must Condemn Religious Discrimination in Foster Care and Adoption

American Atheists — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 13:34:33 +0000

Washington, DC—Today, American Atheists announced it will oppose the nomination of Elizabeth Darling as Commissioner on Children, Youth, and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unless she pledges to reverse the department’s discriminatory child welfare policies. In July, American Atheists joined 125 national organizations to urge HHS to stop considering any proposed regulation that would allow taxpayer-funded foster care and adoption agencies to discriminate in the name of religion. “Given HHS’ troubling history of promoting discrimination in the name of religion, Elizabeth Darling must unequivocally state her commitment to protecting atheist, LGBTQ, and religious minority children and families from discrimination,” said Alison Gill, American Atheists’ Vice President for Legal and Policy. In January, HHS granted Miracle Hill Ministries of Greenville, South Carolina a waiver to discriminate against atheist, Jewish, Catholic, and LGBTQ foster children and prospective parents despite receiving federal funding. In May, plans to make it easier for adoption agencies to reject same-sex couples were leaked to the press. In June, HHS proposed to eliminate data collection about sexual orientation in our nation’s child welfare system in order to hide the negative impact of religiously motivated discrimination on this community. “Americans deserve to know whether Darling stands with the perpetrators of discrimination or their victims—the 400,000 children in the foster care system and the over 100,000 children waiting to be adopted by a forever family,” said Nick Fish, president of American Atheists. “Vulnerable children should not have to pay the price for someone else’s religious dogma.” American Atheists has joined other national groups, notably Family Equality Council, in opposing any nominee who would give taxpayer-funded child placing agencies licenses-to-discriminate.

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End Religious Exemptions in Foster Care and Adoption! Support the Every Child Deserves a Family Act!

American Atheists — Thu, 25 Jul 2019 14:49:59 +0000

Adoption and foster care programs exist to serve the best interests of vulnerable children, and yet there are 10 states that allow child placement agencies to discriminate based on their religious beliefs. Today, on Thursday, July 25th please call your Senators and Representative and urge them to cosponsor the Every Child Deserves a Family Act! The Every Child Deserves a Family Act (S.1791/H.R. 3114), which was reintroduced in both the Senate and the House of Representatives last month, helps expand the number of homes for these vulnerable children. It would prohibit discrimination based on religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and marital status in the adoption and foster care system. No longer could taxpayer funded adoption and foster care agencies cite religion to discriminate against atheist, LGBTQ, or religious minority children and potential parents. Support the Every Child Deserves a Family Act! Call your Senators and Representative now, and ask them to cosponsor S.1791/H.R. 3114 to stop religious exemptions and discrimination in adoption and foster care! This bill will help hundreds of thousands of children and youths to find safe environments and to eventually find their forever families⁠—free from religious coercion and discrimination. Currently, there are over 400,000 children who need placement in our foster care system and over 100,000 children who are waiting to be adopted into a forever family. Allowing discrimination against qualified families based on the religious beliefs of others reduces the number of available families and harms these children. The Every Child Deserves a Family Act will also protect young people from religious coercion in child welfare systems, such as coercive religious conversion and dangerous conversion therapy. Together we can help each child find a forever home, free from religious discrimination and coercion. We must prioritize the best interests of children—not those who would discriminate against them. Please call your Senators and Representative to cosponsor the Every Child Deserves a Family Act!

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American Atheists Joins 125 National Organizations to Oppose Religious Discrimination in Foster Care and Adoption

American Atheists — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 21:05:06 +0000

Cranford, NJ—Today, American Atheists joined 125 national organizations to urge Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar to stop considering any proposed regulation that would allow taxpayer-funded foster care and adoption agencies to discriminate in the name of religion. “Ensuring that taxpayer-funded child placement agencies abide by nondiscrimination laws is not hostile to religion. Turning away people seeking to engage in government-funded services because they fail a religious test is,” said the letter, signed by American Atheists and other members and allies of the Coalition Against Religious Discrimination (CARD). In January, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) used a gross misinterpretation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) to allow South Carolina foster care agencies to discriminate against prospective volunteers and parents who are Catholic, Jewish, Unitarian Universalist, and atheist. South Carolina’s discriminatory policy harms children by reducing the number of qualified foster and adoptive parents able to provide them a permanent home. CARD cautioned HHS against using the same flawed analysis of RFRA to justify expanding SC’s exemption to the rest of the country; a nationwide license-to-discrimate would harm even more of the 400,000 children in the foster care system and the over 100,000 children who are waiting to be adopted by a forever family. “The government should never fund religious discrimination, especially when it is vulnerable children who will pay the price,” said American Atheists and the other signatories.

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Trump Administration Covering up Religious Harm to LGBTQ Adopted and Foster Youth

American Atheists — Wed, 19 Jun 2019 21:09:12 +0000

Washington, DC—Today, American Atheists condemned the Trump Administration’s proposal to eliminate data collection about sexual orientation in our nation’s child welfare system as another example of the president pandering to his religious base at the expense of vulnerable people. In 2016, the Obama Administration updated the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) to collect data on LGBTQ children and caretakers, but the Trump Administration is proposing to roll back this change to the data collection policy, hiding the negative impact of religiously motivated discrimination on this community. “The Trump Administration is trying to erase LGBTQ children and parents from our country’s adoption and foster care system,” said Alison Gill, American Atheists’ Vice President for Legal and Policy. “Sadly, this administration has shown it will take every opportunity to undermine civil rights and wield religion as a weapon against religious minorities, women, and LGBTQ Americans.” The Trump Administration has repeatedly condoned discrimination based on religion in the child placement system. In January, the administration granted Miracle Hill Ministries of Greenville, South Carolina a waiver to discriminate against LGBTQ, Jewish, Catholic, and atheist foster children and parents despite receiving federal funding. As a result, the Department of Health and Human Services, SC Gov. Henry McMaster and the state Department of Social Services face two federal lawsuits, one filed by a married lesbian couple, the other by a Catholic woman. “By removing sexual orientation from the adoption and foster care data collection system, the administration clearly hopes to hide the harm it is inflicting on young people and potential parents,” said Gill. This suggested change is part of a larger pattern of discrimination in the name of religion. Currently, 10 states grant taxpayer funded adoption and foster care agencies religious exemptions that allow them to discriminate against qualified potential parents and, in some cases, young people themselves. “The Trump administration has been indulging the worst impulses of religious extremists who desperately want to erode non-discrimination protections for anyone they find morally objectionable, including in health care and in adoption and foster care,” said Nick Fish, American Atheists’ President. “This proposal will cost lives, and President Trump seems perfectly happy to exchange those lives for evangelical votes.” Read American Atheists’ comments to the Department of Health and Human Services, submitted yesterday.

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End Religious Exemptions in Adoption and Foster Care! Support the Every Child Deserves a Family Act!

American Atheists — Fri, 14 Jun 2019 21:51:56 +0000

Adoption and foster care programs exist to serve the best interests of vulnerable children, and yet there are 10 states that allow child placement agencies to discriminate. The Every Child Deserves a Family Act (S.1791/H.R. 3114), which was recently reintroduced in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, would fix this problem. It would prohibit discrimination based on religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and marital status in the adoption and foster care system. No longer could taxpayer funded adoption and foster care agencies cite religion to discriminate against atheist children and potential parents. Support the Every Child Deserves a Family Act! Contact your Senators and Representative and tell them to stop religious exemptions and discrimination in adoption and foster care! This bill will help hundreds of thousands of children and youths to find safe environments and to eventually find their forever families free from religious coercion and discrimination. Currently, there are over 400,000 children who need placement in our foster care system and over 100,000 children who are waiting to be adopted into a forever family. Allowing discrimination against qualified families based on the religious beliefs of others reduces the number of available families and harms these vulnerable children. The Every Child Deserves a Family Act will also protect young people from religious coercion in child welfare systems, such as coercive religious conversion and dangerous conversion therapy. Please ask your Senators and Representative to support the Every Child Deserves a Family Act! Together we can help each child find a forever home, free from religious coercion. We must prioritize the best interests of children — not those who would discriminate against them.

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Atheists: The Every Child Deserves a Family Act would End Taxpayer-Funded Discrimination in Adoption and Foster Care

American Atheists — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 17:17:42 +0000

Washington, DC—Today, American Atheists praised the introduction of the Every Child Deserves a Family Act (H.R. 3114). This bipartisan bill would stop federally funded adoption and foster care placement agencies from discriminating against children, adoptive parents, and families nationwide. This legislation is especially important for LGBTQ people, atheists, and religious minorities—the groups most likely to face discrimination. “For far too long, religion has been used as an excuse to discriminate against atheists, LGBTQ people, and members of the ‘wrong’ religious group in our nation’s foster care and adoption system,” explained Alison Gill, Vice President for Legal & Policy. “With more than 400,000 young people in our nation’s foster care system and more than 120,000 awaiting a permanent family, this bill will ensure that every one of them has the best opportunity possible to find a forever home.” “This is about doing what is best for young people,” said Nick Fish, American Atheists’ president. “Unfortunately, ten states have prioritized the dogma of religious adoption and foster care providers above the best interests of the children they’re supposed to serve. The Every Child Deserves a Family Act protects vulnerable children and would-be parents from this religion-based discrimination.” “This is personal for me,” added Fish. “When my parents adopted me, they weren’t asked what religion they believed or which church they attended. All that mattered was that they loved me and put my interests first.” Crucially, this bill will protect children’s religious freedom by prohibiting federally funded agencies from subjecting young people to harmful conversion therapy or religious conversion. “This bill is long overdue,” said Gill. “We thank Representatives John Lewis (D-GA) and Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR) for their leadership by introducing the Every Child Deserves a Family Act. Every day that goes by without these basic protections for young people is a day too many.”

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Tennessee Residents: Stop Religious Discrimination in Foster Care!

American Atheists — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 19:36:06 +0000

Last week, the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee passed SB 1304, which would allow state-funded adoption and foster care agencies to discriminate based on their religious beliefs. Tomorrow morning, the Senate will hold the final vote to pass this harmful bill into law. Please take action now! We can stop these religious exemptions, but only if lawmakers hear opposition from you, the people they represent. SB 1304 would create new religious exemptions that would allow adoption and foster care placement agencies to discriminate against atheists and nonbelievers, religious minorities, single parents, LGBTQ people, or any other group of people they disfavor. This is the last chance to stop this discriminatory bill! Tell your Tennessee state senator that you oppose SB 1304! This kind of discrimination would reduce the number of potential adoptive parents, making children in these systems less likely to find a loving, permanent home. Tell Tennessee lawmakers that they should not put children at risk just to support religious discrimination! Sponsors of this bill claim that religious child placement agencies in other states have been forced to close due to same-sex marriage—but that is simply untrue. Instead, these agencies have a choice: they can either receive government funds or they can discriminate. It is unfair to Tennessee taxpayers, would-be parents, and especially the children involved to allow agencies to discriminate using state funds. Together we can stop these special protections for religion. Please act now, and tell your Tennessee state senator that you oppose SB 1304!

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