State Denies Catholics the Right to Adopt
Massachusetts deserves a major slapdown for grotesque anti-Catholic discrimination against a couple who wanted to become foster parents.
Helped by the Becket Law legal aid group, Mike and Kitty Burke filed suit on Aug. 8 against state officials who rejected their application to be foster parents. In an exhaustive screening process, state agents gave the Burkes high marks and glowing comments, but the state turned them down because their Catholic “faith is not supportive” of the state’s promotion of transgender medical procedures. The Burkes’ beliefs on sexuality were the sole reason for the denial.
Yet, in this instance, even though gender transitions would be relevant to a minute proportion of children, the state denied the Burkes foster-care approval for any children, specifically because of Catholics’ faith-based qualms about gender transitions for minors. Even though the couple cleared all background checks with flying colors — they “really seem to understand adoption/foster care,” one interviewer said, and another called them “lovely people” — and even though they stated they would equally love children who said they are not heterosexual, the state said their faith-based refusal to support sex-change treatment was disqualifying.
This rejection was not only devastating to the Burkes but harmful to needy children. Some 19% of the 7,810 children in the state’s foster-care system are not placed with families. These unfortunate children are housed in institutional settings, with dozens in hospitals, despite not needing medical attention, because there is no room anywhere else. This is stunningly inhumane. The suit says others have been forced to stay in the agency’s own offices, “which are not equipped for overnight stays” because actual beds were so lacking. By the agency’s assessments, the Burkes could provide some of those children a loving home but will not be allowed to merely because of their religious beliefs. (Read more from “State Denies Catholics the Right to Adopt” HERE)
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