Faith-based agencies must be allowed to continue because they serve a vital role in our communities and especially in the lives of individual children.

It would be a horrendous violation of religious freedom in Virgina for the commonwealth to force agencies and individuals to follow discriminatory regulations agains their own values.  Religious liberty is foundational in our stateand our country.

The right of Faith based agencies, under federal and state law, to make decisions according to their religious beliefs about marriage and family life when placing a child in an adoptive or foster home must be preserved and protected.

 Birthparents and prospective adoptive parents have a right to work with agencies that share their beliefs and values, including relegious ones.

The State Board of Social Services agreed to uphold the rights of faith-based child placement agencies to continue to help families and children without governmental intervention on April 20th. This was a correct decision and Virginia agencies should continue to act accordingly.