Preserve religious freedom of parents putting children up for adoption and adoption agencies placing children.

Note: This issue was fully debated and rightly decided on April 20, after extensive commentary that day and well before that. I am grateful for the State Board of Social Services' decisive 7-2 vote on April 20 to uphold the religious freedom of faith-based agencies. Please continue to uphold religious liberty in the weeks and months to come. The following are my detailed commentary.

Many persons placing their children for adoption do so because their religious and conscience beliefs are that abortion is immoral. They have religious and conscience beliefs that should be allowed to influence their choice of adoption agencies. If they are Orthodox Jewish and wish to place their children with a Jewish agency that believes a heterosexual couple is the best place they should be allowed to do so. If they are Baptist wish to place their children with a Baptist agency that that believes a heterosexual couple is the best place they should be allowed to do so.  If they are Catholic or Orthodox and wish to place their children with a Baptist agency that that believes a heterosexual couple is the best place they should be allowed to do so.

The right of both the birthparents and the prospective adoptive parents to hold their beliefs should not be infringed by the State. This is the establishment of a state religious belief that over-rides the beliefs of the citizen and is an unprecedented violation of religious freedom.

Faith based agencies provide many vital services in our community because their faith demands it. Services provided by those who believe in the love of the fellow man pay far more attention to the needs of individuals then do public servants no matter how conscientious. This is simply because the public servant necessarily answers to politicians who have broader issues then the needs of the individual child. The idea that only organizations that sponsor placements with homosexual relationships means that only organizations that believe in homosexual relationships will be allowed to do placement. This violates the religious freedom of both sets of parents.

If a parent really believes in homosexual relationships, they can voluntarily place with an agency that shares that belief.

Please continue to preserve religious freedom in the state of Virginia and allow birth parents to continue to be able to exercise their views on what is the best interest of their child thru placement through agencies sharing their views.

Sincerely,