Photo by U.S. Government via Wikimedia Commons.
On Nov. 1, the start of National Adoption Month, the Trump administration has overturned the right for LGBTQ+ families to be protected by discrimination from faith-based foster care and adoption agencies.
The rule would appeal the 2016 action from the Obama administration. According to CBS News, the rule would allow the Department of Health and Human Services to deny for LGBTQ+ families looking to adopt due to faith of adoption agencies.
In addition to this rule, the Department of Health and Human Services are looking to cut back on federal funding on organizations preventing HIV and helping the homeless.
Conservative and religious groups alike feel positively about the override.
Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council, a group supporting conservative and religious views and causes, issued a statement on their website. Perkins called the rule “tremendous.”
“Thanks to President Trump, charities will be free to care for needy children and operate according to their religious beliefs that children do best in a home with a married mom and dad,” Perkins said.
In contrast, LGBTQ+ groups are seeing the new rule as negative toward the community and are seeing it as discrimination.
‘I don’t think the decision should be based on religious [beliefs] because not everyone follows the same religion, not everyone believes in the same things, so it’s unfair, unjust and problematic to have someone barred or banned from something because they don’t align with your religious beliefs, . . .’
According to a statement from Family Equality Council, an advocacy group for LGBTQ+ families, “The rule will further limit the pool of loving homes available to America’s 440,000 children living in foster care, and puts providers’ interest in discriminating over the needs of youth in care.”
In a 2018 study conducted by UCLA found that an estimated 114,000 same-sex couples were raising children in the U.S. in 2016. The report has also found that same-sex couples are more likely to raise adopted children than different-sex couples.
According to the UCLA study in 2018, the percentage of same-sex couples raising adopted children is one in five (21.4%) and differs from the 3% of different-sex couples. In addition, 2.9% of same-sex couples have foster children, while 0.4% of different-sex couples foster children.
WCU students shared their thoughts about this Trump administration rule.
“I think it is discriminating [against] our human rights and it’s not a good thing to do for the LGBTQ+ community,” said Caila Pitts, a third-year majoring in elementary special education. “It clearly discriminates against their rights.”
“I don’t think the decision should be based on religious [beliefs] because not everyone follows the same religion. Not everyone believes in the same things, so it’s unfair, unjust and problematic to have someone barred or banned from something because they don’t align with your religious beliefs,” said Nahje Royster, a fourth year majoring in women and gender studies and minoring in African American studies.
‘I think those children just want to be adopted in safe, healthy, happy, loving homes,’ added Royster. ‘I don’t think they’re worried about things like what their parents look like because they’re looking for parents.’
According to Adoption Network, 135,000 children are adopted in the United States each year.
“I think those children just want to be adopted in safe, healthy, happy, loving homes,” added Royster. “I don’t think they’re worried about things like what their parents look like because they’re looking for parents. So I don’t think that’s a concern that they would have.”
The proposed rule has a 30-day comment period that will be reviewed after the period in order to make a final decision.
Hania Jones is a fourth-year student majoring in English and minoring in journalism. HJ902644@wcupa.edu