Tell Your Delegate to Protect Faith Based Adoption Agencies

Tomorrow (January 27) at 11:00 a.m., a House subcommittee will consider HB 1932 (D-Levine), a bill that would repeal statutory conscience protections for faith-based adoption and foster care agencies, a law that The Family Foundation helped create in 2012.

Recently, we informed those of you with legislators on a House Health, Welfare and Institutions subcommittee about this bill, which you can read about HERE.

Delegate Mark Levine (D-Alexandria) also brought this bill last year. After two long and contentious committee hearings, it was defeated when no one would “second” the motion for it to be voted on.  Despite the numerous agencies in Virginia that place foster children and orphans with same-sex couples, Del. Levine is committed to his personal desire to exclude some faith-based nonprofits and put them out of business (as has happened in other states) simply because they believe in placing children in homes with a mom and a dad. 

With 5,400 children in Virginia's foster care system, more than 700 of whom are ready for adoption right now, we need as many agencies as possible serving foster children in Virginia, not less.

This is one of the most effective public-private partnerships in Virginia that’s due in large part to the service-minded, and dedicated, faith-based agencies.  We are working with other groups to defeat this hostile bill, but your legislator needs to hear from you!

If you wish to watch the subcommittee debate on HB 1932, click HERE on Wednesday at 11am and select “HWI: Social Services Subcommittee.”

To write the members on this subcommittee, click HERE, select the box for “HB 1932” and then click Next.