Action Alert: They’re Trying to Shut Down Faith-Based Adoption Providers
Tomorrow, January 30, is another very important day in a House Health, Welfare & Institutions Subcommittee, which will hear two bills in the morning with significant implications for child placement agencies and parents.
Please contact members of the HWI Committee and urge them to vote NO on HB 580 and 1051!
The committee will reconsider and vote on HB 1051 (D-Levine), which seeks to repeal Virginia's longstanding conscience rights for religious adoption agencies. This bill opposes religious diversity by targeting faith-based nonprofits and putting them out of business simply for placing children in homes with a mom and a dad, as has happened in other states.
Last week the House Subcommittee listened to public testimony on this bill and decided to delay their vote until tomorrow so that they could acquire more information about the number of children that will be displaced if these agencies can no longer serve them. This issue is very serious, but their delay and request for more information is a great opportunity for you to contact legislators prior to tomorrow’s meeting!
Virginia has always been a place of religious diversity and tolerance. Our Commonwealth should remain a place that is welcome to people and nonprofits of all religious views. Urge your legislator to protect religious diversity and conscience rights by opposing HB 1051.
The Subcommittee will also consider HB 580 (D-Guzman), which would add to the current definition of an “abused or neglected child” a child whose parent causes physical or mental injury based on the child’s “sexual orientation” or “gender identity.” This is simply telling parents you must parent in a way that affirms a child’s same-sex desires or gender confusion or else the state may take your child away from you! What’s more, this bill oversteps the parent’s ability to guide a child away from behavior that they know will be harmful to the child’s growth.
We are working hard with other groups to defeat these misguided bills, but legislators on this committee need to hear from their constituents.
