As the ACLU announced they will file a major lawsuit challenging LGBT adoption discrimination practices in Michigan, the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) is backing them up with a national ad and policy report detailing how the laws harm children.
The “Kids Pay the Price” ad, released in partnership with the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), was targeted to debut on Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson Tonight, but was rejected by the network according to MAP.
“Politicians are passing these laws, so it’s important for the public to understand how these laws can hurt kids,” said Ineke Mushovic, MAP’s Executive Director. “Fox News Channel’s refusal to air the ad suggests that the consequences kids may experience as a result of these laws are so negative that it’s better to let these laws pass unchecked than to ask news audiences to grapple with how harmful and troubling these laws really are. Sweeping these issues under the rug simply means more kids in harm’s way.”
Six other states also allow adoption agencies to discriminate against potential LGBT parents under the guise of “religious freedom.” This year alone, South Dakota, Alabama and Texas passed legislation permitting state-licensed child welfare agencies to refuse to place and provide services to children and families, if doing so conflicts with their religious beliefs, joining Alabama, North Dakota, Virginia and Michigan for a total of seven states with such laws.
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Congress is also considering H.R. 1881, a federal bill that would cut federal funding for child welfare services by 15% to any state that passes or enforces nondiscrimination requirements for child services organizations.
“We have laws governing child services agencies for a reason,” Christine James-Brown, CEO and President of CWLA, says at the end of the ad. “When states allow adoption decisions to be based on a worker’s individual beliefs, rather than the best interests of children, it’s children who pay the price.”