A group of Republican attorneys general warned that Joe Biden’s new proposals would drive Christians out of the foster care system.
The new rule will remove faith-based providers from the foster care system if they do not change their religious beliefs regarding sexual orientation and gender identity.
On Monday, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, along with 18 fellow Republicans from other states, wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) calling on the Biden administration to change the rule.
The group says foster care requirements violate the Constitution and discriminate against people who hold a biblical view on sexuality and gender.
The group says foster care requirements violate the Constitution and discriminate against people who hold a biblical view of sexuality and gender.
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New plans would require foster families to use “the identified pronouns and chosen name of a foster child, and to allow the child to dress in an age-appropriate manner that the child believes reflects their self-identified gender identity and expression.”
The proposals, called Safe and Appropriate Foster Care Requirements, also ensure “safe and appropriate” placement for any child who identifies as LGBT+.
In order to be “safe and appropriate,” providers must establish an environment “free from hostility, mistreatment or abuse based on the child’s LGBTQI+ status.”
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said: “This will change the way we view foster care’s treatment of our foster children, but more importantly, the way we look at the people we rely on for s “take care of foster children.”
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However, the attorneys general countered by saying that “the proposed rule will harm children by limiting the number of foster homes available, families by risking kinship placements, and states by increasing costs and diminishing options for foster care.” supported “.
They wrote: “These injuries will be suffered until HHS can address a problem that the proposed rule does not even prove exists in foster care. »
Their letter also emphasizes that the foster care system depends on both individuals and faith-based organizations.
The latest data suggests that almost 391,000 children were in foster care in 2022 and an estimated 416,500 children will be in foster care by 2027.
The latest data suggests almost 391,000 children were in foster care in 2022 and an estimated 416,500 children will be in foster care by 2027 (stock image)
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“Without faith-based organizations and foster homes, the foster care system would face a critical lack of placement options,” the AGs wrote.
They added that “caring for children in need is a duty of the Christian faith.”
Marshall said, “Since the first century, Christians around the world have answered the call to provide homes and families for children who had neither. »
“Alabama has a uniquely strong faith-based foster care and adoption community, and I will fight this administration for them every step of the way.”
