We believe that the best interest of the child should be the sole factor in deciding whether a child should be placced with a prospective foster care or adoptive parent or parents.

We believe that State-licensed child placing agencies should not be allowed to discriminate against children or prospective parents based on race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, political beliefs, sexual orientation, disability and family status, as initially proposed.

Therefore, because we believe that disrimination by adoption agenices is unacceptable, we urge the Board to restore to the final rules the protections against such discrimination that were inccluded in the proposed rules.

Most Sincerely, 

(Signed by the following 29 Members and/or Friends of Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ, 5010 Little Falls Rd, Arlington, VA .22207)

Carol George                                                                           Susan T. Peters

Lucy Norman Spencer                                                             Richard Lee

Julia Hoglund                                                                           Janet Parker

Willian Wooten                                                                         Takako Dickinson

Ingrid Wooten                                                                           Katherine U. Z.

Wayne P. Limberg                                                                    Bettie F. Clark

Howard Hjort                                                                            Martha Stansell-Gamm

Hamilton Brown                                                                        Charles S Spencer

Sally Michel                                                                              DonnaJoy Hawley

Susan C. Daniels                                                                     Donna Vogt Cartwright

Chris Keifer                                                                              E. Wenberg

Ann Parcell                                                                              Ann C. Rudd

Daena R. Kluegel                                                                    Frances S

Masami Kojima                                                                       Rebecca Womeldorf

                                                                                                Robin Overholt