New York State Issues Devastating Ultimatum to Faith-Based Adoption Agency
A religious adoption provider that has operated since 1965 and placed more than 1,000 children with families is being told by the New York state government to either changes its operating procedures – and go against its faith – or shut down.
Founded by local Christian ministers, New Hope Family Services (NHFS) opened its doors 53 years ago, serving the women, children, and families of Syracuse, NY. In 1986, the organization opened a pregnancy center for women in need, providing pregnancy tests, referrals, and counseling.
As a religious organization, NHFS believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman, and will only place children in homes with a married mother and father. Same-sex couples who seek NHFS’s services, however, are referred to other adoption providers. NHFS says it has clearly articulated its religious beliefs and has had no formal complaints lodged against it.
That all changed in October 2018, when the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) sent NHFS a letter claiming its traditional marriage policy was “discriminatory and impermissible.” The letter told NHFS that if it did not “revise the present policy” and continued with business as it had done for decades, or failed “to bring the policy into compliance with the regulation,” then “OCFS will be unable to approve continuation of [New Hope’s] current adoption program and [New Hope] will be required to submit a close-out plan for the adoption program.” . . .
Even though NHFS refers same-sex couples to other adoption agencies, New York believes they are breaking the law. The Christian Broadcasting Network reported that the New York legislature “allowed unmarried and same-sex partners to adopt beginning in 2010, it does not mandate that agencies place their children with non-traditional parents.” Title 18 was first proposed in 2013. (Read more from “New York State Issues Devastating Ultimatum to Faith-Based Adoption Agency” HERE)
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