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RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia Senate voted 22-18 on Thursday to approve a bill that would allow private adoption and foster care agencies to deny placement of children based on religious or moral beliefs, including disapproval of homosexuality.
The action by the Senate, which fell mostly along partisan lines, came one week after the state’s House of Delegates approved an identical bill.
With Republican Gov. Robert McDonnell saying he planned to sign the legislation if it came to him, the bill is certain to become law.
“This bill authorizes every one of the 80 private adoption agencies licensed in Virginia to refuse to offer their services to any GLBT person based on a written moral policy, which they can make up tomorrow,” said State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria and Fairfax), who is gay.
“The bill says they can do that no matter how qualified the prospective mom and dad is to become a parent,” said Ebbin in an impassioned floor speech urging his colleagues to vote against the bill.
All 20 Republicans in the chamber voted for the bill, with two conservative-leaning Democrats, Sen. Charles Colgan of Prince William County and Sen. Phillip Puckett of Russell County joining Republicans to vote for the measure.
The bill, SB 349, became known as the “conscience clause” bill because supporters say it would protect the religious rights of faith based adoption and foster placement agencies, many of whom are funded by the state.
Ebbin and other opponents of the bill said that although it doesn’t say so directly, they believe it is aimed mostly at allowing adoption agencies to turn away LGBT people as adoptive or foster parents.
Filed under: Virginia
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what crap..
That’s terrible.
very sad someone would deprive a child a loving home…clearly they missed their sunday school classes…WWJD?
If your untreated in gay rights hesmas.blogspot.com is the blog for you
That is immoral.
Why don’t the right-wing idiots focus more on debating about the economy? Oh wait. I know why. Because they can’t seem to wrap their heads around the fact that President Obama has turned around our economy and it is getting better under his watch!!
What is disgusting about this country is that Majority of it approves hate. Everyone sits back and allows it or participates in it. What we need to be doing is marching against Hate. Another 1,000,000 man/woman march might get the message across the way it did last time.
Bbboooo
Boo! How typical of the southern states.
2 dads or 2 moms vs. no dads or moms. It seems like a no brainer to me.
So glad I don’t live in Virginia anymore.
i’m originally from va and i’m happy that i don’t live there anymore.
What did it say?! I can’t read it. Can someone tell me in short what it says?
Wow, really? Shame on Virginia…..you should be following the other states in giving more rights instead of showing your ignorance and bigotry by taking rights away! We are all humans and should all have the same rights!!
Hitch up the horses and move them out. I have nothing good to say about much of the older generations.
It is going to be 1 step forward 2 steps back as long as there are uneducated, ignorant, bible thumping, sheep running around & being put into office…particularly in the South. But as soon as the older generations die off I think this country will be in much better shape. I try to respect my elders, but when my elders are “stuck on stupid” that becomes difficult!
Conservatives are about hate not children…. Kids in care need the best people to look after them, whoever they maybe….. You are limiting them, that’s the bottom line…. It’s a crime against children!
Watch how quicky the agencies start filling up with children who are physically or mentally ill because the elitist right wing won’t adopt these angels and upset their self imposed perfect family balance. I know this for a fact and from first hand experience!
How the hell is gay rights a political issue. It’s social, and should be treated as such. As in left the hell out of courts or up to republican vs democrat. What the hell happened to separation is church and state. This is about republicans who think they know shit about the bible. Which they don’t really. What happened to acceptance. What happened to not judging. Then these idiots use their power in the senate congress whatever and do nothing but tear people and families apart. Yes I’m bitter :)
It also allows agencies to reject people based on their religious views. The Christian Right should be equally enflamed by this.
Why the fuck would you “Like” this?
Just further proof Virginia is for haters not lovers
Good point Zach.
lol I’m sure these lonely children approve of their sentence being lengthened for no reason…wait….no
booooooooooooooooooo! why should any child be denied a loving home & family because some bigots control their fate.
Apparently Virginia is for Haters not Lovers.
So glad I moved outa va. To bad it’s my home “/
My second was adopted out, and one of my rules was that they not be over zealous religious people and more open-minded. I don’t mind if the biological parents are the ones who can say who can adopt their child and who can’t. But I don’t think agencies have that right.
D<
said it before will say it again,,, think that it is a crock of shit,,, it should not matter if someone is gay or straight,,, just that they cando the job the riht way
So proud of my home state. -.- And some Virginians wonder why they get a bad rep along with other Southern states….
once again moving backwards instead of forwards…