The Virginian-Pilot
©
RICHMOND
Private child placement agencies might soon have legal backing to deny adoption or foster care to prospective parents for religious or moral reasons.
Two bills creating a so-called "conscience clause" made key gains in the legislature Friday to the dismay of some Democrats and gay-rights advocates who say Virginia's on the verge of providing a license to discriminate to groups that get public money to place children on behalf of the state. Supporters say the measures are necessary to keep faith-based agencies doing such work.
It's not entirely clear how much of the $144 million in state and federal funds Virginia spent last year on child placement went to private agencies.
State officials say they don't track how local social service divisions use the money, though they acknowledge private agencies receive public dollars for placement services.
Norfolk's Department of Human Services last year spent nearly $8.2 million on 11 contracts with private child-placing agencies.
Questions about public funding and religious freedom are wrapped up in the debate.
The bill introduced by Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock, would free private agencies, including faith-based groups, to deny a child placement if doing so is at odds with their beliefs. It also would prohibit the state from rejecting or revoking an agency's license on those grounds. The House of Delegates passed it on a 71-28 vote, sending it to the Senate.
Similar legislation from Virginia Beach Sen. Jeff McWaters advanced out of the Senate Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee, where Republicans prevailed on an 8-7 party-line vote.
Gov. Bob McDonnell has said he would sign the bills. Current state law permits adoption by married couples and single people, regardless of sexual orientation.
The Senate committee Friday also killed two Democrats' bills to prohibit the government from contracting with private agencies that discriminate.
During a debate last year on anti-discrimination protections for would-be adoptive parents, officials from some faith-based groups
suggested that forcing them to place children in violation of their beliefs could lead some to end their programs.
Virginia's long had relationships with faith-based placement agencies - they go back at least 50 years, said state Social Services Commissioner Martin Brown.
"These religious organizations have been in business for a long time... and we want them to stay in business," McWaters said recently, noting that hopeful parents also can attempt to adopt through public agencies.
Across the state, 120 local social service departments provide foster care and adoption services, often with an assist from licensed private agencies, of which there are 79 in Virginia.
Such private agencies had a role in 557 of Virginia's 2,503 adoptions last year. At present, about 4,400 Virginia children are in foster care. About 1,300 of them have a goal of adoption.
Julian Walker, 804-697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com
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This is what you voted for, Virginia
The Republican agenda....bigotry, denial of women's rights, and voter suppression. A middle class American voting Republican is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders...
Yes
Well said!
I question the judgment of
I question the judgment of any faith based organization that would accept government money and all the strings that come with accepting that money. If you want protect your ability to make decision based on your faith, as you should, don't take government money.
"to protect your ability to
"to protect your ability to make decisions
Let's see some consistency here
The very poor have to pay for aborting a severely malformed fetus that would not survive on its own, or for a short period in great pain. No consideration for the ability to pay.
Some people object to abortion under any circumstance and feel their tax dollars are supporting something they don't like.
Those low income mothers have been told they can go to a private charity for funding.
Faith based adoption centers want to circumvent state law. Some people object to discrimination against gays and feel their tax dollars are supporting something they don't like.
Those adoption agencies should be told to go to private charities for funding.
Seems only fair and just.
Like clock work
Two solid weeks of daily abortion-related legislation from the GOOPTers and then they pivot to "the gays". Wondering what the rank and file, non-winger part of the GOP voting block thinks about the GOPTs legislative priorities.
With this flood of social hot button legislation from the GOP, I'm wondering if the GOP in Richmond decided to go great guns (PUN!) with this stuff right at the start, hoping the electorate will forget when the next election rolls around. Maybe a reporter can ask a few congresscritters about that.
Loved the pun - it's perfect.
Governor McDonnell and these legislators who took over VA's General Assembly were gung-ho, go get'um folks for the creation of jobs. Instead, they've yanked up every social issue around to drag into chamber.
Every issue they've brought to vote these past several weeks has been to undo in some fashion programs and bills that have been working fine in VA. They want unnecessary, high-cost procedures for women seeking legal abortions, while at the same time withdrawing school funding causing more cuts to school programs and cutting the #s of teachers.
And, here we have them suggesting two men or two women can't raise a child in a loving home as well as any other family unit would provide with 'one woman and one man.' What a load!