Throughout our existence, CAIRS Solutions (and our platform, Parentfinder) has remained committed to supporting progressive values in adoption. We firmly believe that every couple, regardless of sexual orientation, race or religion, should be allowed to grow their family through adoption and foster care.

Earlier this month, we were alarmed to find out that an amendment to the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Funding package had made it’s way out of committee and is now headed to the House of Representatives for a floor vote.

The amendment, which is similar to the “License to Discriminate” laws already enacted in ten states, would ban the federal government from withholding support from child welfare providers that refuse service because of their religious or moral beliefs. The amendment also applies to state and local governments that receive federal funding for child welfare services.

What does this mean? It means that it will be extremely challenging to stop agencies that receive federal funding from refusing to place children for adoption or foster care with LGBTQ people, single or divorced people, people of a different faith, or anyone else deemed unacceptable based on the agency’s beliefs.

We firmly believe that this amendment hurts the adoption and foster care community, and that the discriminatory language should be removed from the amendment.

If you’d like to learn more, NBC news wrote a great piece summarizing the amendment and sharing stories of those who have been effected by the state laws.

NBC NEWS: REPUBLICAN ADOPTION AMENDMENT WOULD HURT LGBTQ FOSTER YOUTH AND ADOPTIVE COUPLES