Action | Adopt new standards for licensed private child-placing agencies. |
Stage | Proposed |
Comment Period | Ended on 4/1/2011 |
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Religious organizations should be able to exercise their faith principles freely without fear of reprisal or interference by government organizations. The specific clause in the US Constitution is "or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". By enacting regulations supporting, and requiring compliance of, ALL institutions currently in service to the State we are telling religious citizens that they are not wanted and not able to hold their beliefs while working with the State.
This is not a question of whether Virginian organizations should ever allow same-sex adoption. However, individuals and organizations must not be forced to check their rights at the door in order to perform State services.
This is political activism, plain and simple. Adoption agencies must use criteria to select foster and adoptive parents. This is best for the children. If certain organizations choose to cater to a specific crowd based on their relgious convictions, they should be allowed. If this is an unpopular critieria, then those organizations will cease to exist based on market forces.
Faith based groups should not be targeted with discrimination in an attempt to reconcile issues of discrimination of other groups.