WASHINGTON—By enacting laws protecting the conscience rights of
adoption and foster care providers, “Kansas and Oklahoma are keeping kids first,”
said Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Chairman of the United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human
Development, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Chairman of the USCCB
Committee for Religious Liberty, and Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln,
Chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage.

The governors of Kansas and Oklahoma on May 18 and May 11,
respectively, signed legislation ensuring that faith-based adoption and foster
care providers can provide these services in accordance with their deeply held
religious beliefs or moral convictions.

The three USCCB chairmen stated the following:

“Kansas and Oklahoma are keeping kids first by allowing all capable
adoption and foster care providers to serve children in need. The opioid crisis
has caused a large increase in the number of children entering the foster care
system. We need more, not fewer, agencies to serve children who need loving
homes.”

At least nine states have now passed similar laws, including
Virginia, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas,
and now Kansas and Oklahoma. These laws do not exclude any providers or
prohibit anyone from adopting but merely ensure the inclusion of faith-based
providers.

At the federal level, the USCCB supports the Child Welfare
Provider Inclusion Act of 2017 (H.R. 1881 / S. 811), which protects child
welfare providers from being discriminated against by federal or state
government entities due to the providers’ religious beliefs or moral
convictions.

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Keywords: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Bishop Frank Dewane, Archbishop
Joseph Kurtz, Bishop James Conley, USCCB, Kansas Adoption Protection Act,
Oklahoma Senate Bill 1140, Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act, adoption,
foster care, keep kids first, freedom to serve

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Media Contact:

Judy
Keane

202-541-3200

Source:: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops