We oppose the outsourcing of public responsibilities to religious groups that believe some families are more worthy than others — like mine.
As someone who was adopted as a child, I know firsthand that every kid needs and deserves a safe, stable, loving family.
When my own parents adopted me, they weren’t asked what religion they practiced, which church they attended, or whether they met someone else’s theological test.
They were asked whether they would love me, care for me, and give me a good home. That’s all that should matter.
Yet we’re seeing a renewed effort to privatize core government services like child welfare and hand them off to faith-based organizations.
Whether it’s foster care, adoption, homeless services, or education, the result of this privatization is the same: religious discrimination subsidized by taxpayer dollars.
Last week, the nation’s largest Protestant adoption and foster care agency, Bethany Christian Services, which is based in my home state of Michigan, announced it will once again exclude LGBTQ+ couples from adoption, narrowing the pool of loving parents while thousands of children continue to wait for families. According to the press release:
“Bethany is expanding and reaffirming its Statement of Faith and Belief, which will include both the Apostles’ Creed and longstanding Biblical principles previously affirmed by the organization. These include the authority of scripture, the spiritual formation of our staff, the biblical mandate to care for the vulnerable, God’s reflection in humanity, the sanctity of human life, God’s design for marriage, partnership with the church, and excellence as worship. All staff and board members will be asked to personally agree and adhere to this statement. Additionally, Bethany will continue its longstanding partnership with the church to find foster families whose beliefs and practices align with our organization’s faith and Christian mission.”
So… the sanctity of certain lives.
Hemant Mehta of The Friendly Atheist explained: “In practice, this means children in need of safe, loving, welcoming homes will have fewer options to choose from because a large Christian group with the power to help them has needlessly chosen to double down on exclusion.”
As a private organization, it’s Bethany’s right to set discriminatory policies. But exercising that right should disqualify it from receiving a cent of public money.
Yet states across the country are considering bills that would allow taxpayer-funded discrimination in foster care and adoption. This session alone, our State Policy Team monitored 36 foster care and adoption bills. While some sought to protect kids and prospective parents, many, many more were designed to make it easier for agencies to reject qualified families simply because they didn’t fit a narrow religious worldview, making it harder — if not impossible — for LGBTQ+ families, nonreligious folks, and others to participate fully in public life.
That is unacceptable. And it’s why American Atheists is organizing in statehouses across the country to pass laws that require organizations that receive public funds to play by the same rules.
And it’s why we fight to end the outsourcing of public responsibilities to private religious groups that believe some families are more worthy than others — including my own.
In solidarity,
Nick Fish
President
PS: To support our advocacy work in all 50 states, please donate today. Joining as a monthly member ensures we have the resources it takes to invest in our Secular Advocacy Teams and build the support it takes to ensure that every kid has a forever home — like me.
From fighting harmful policies to ensuring atheists have access to secular resources, American Atheists is working nationwide to advance religious equality for all.
The White Christian Nationalist movement’s goal is indoctrination, not free inquiry. Not to understand our history, but to rewrite it.
When the Pentagon decides atheists, humanists, pagans, and more don’t belong, the message is clear: The government values some people more than others.
