06/03/2009
UK: Catholic Adoption Agencies Breaking Law by Barring Gays
A Charity Tribunal in the UK has ruled that Catholic adoption agencies cannot bar gays from adopting for religious reasons:
"The tribunal ruled that a 'heterosexuals only' policy in the
adoption field of the Catholic Church in England and Wales would fall foul
of the ban on discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation brought in two
years ago. The Tribunal's ruling leaves leading charity Catholic Care (Diocese of Leeds) (pictured)
facing a deep religious impasse and creates a fundamental conflict between
the tenets of the Catholic Church and the law of the land.
If the charity now sticks to Church policy and continues to follow its "heterosexuals
only" policy it could lose its charity status and public funding.It might also face discrimination claims by same-sex couples it has turned
away in the past"
The charity had been in the process of formally incorporating rules that gays could not adopt based on the tenets of the Church.
Posted 9:04 AM EST by Andy Towle in Catholic Church, Discrimination, Gay Adoption, Great Britain, Religion | Permalink
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As a practicing Catholic, I still find that the church would stop responsible adults to find a home for unwanted children. That's despicable. On the other hand, while I kinda remain unhappy about the church's teachings on homo-marriage, I think it has some merits because the church denounces all pre-marital sex. So all those Catholic heteros out there who engage pre-marital sex, you are sinners just like us in the eye of Church, get off your high horses.
ALSO God is Love, and one day, everyone will realize this instead of hell/hate that the false prophets are saying (Evangelist preachers like Pat Robertson, I'm looking at you).
Posted by: This is kinda a good thing. | Jun 3, 2009 9:21:05 AM
And in this great United States of America, the same religious agency would be able to continue practicing bare-faced bigotry with the full approval of the United States Government, because, of course, HATE is perfectly okay as long as it is based on RELIGION.
Posted by: Roscoe | Jun 3, 2009 9:27:49 AM
Yeah; coming down quite hard on this kind of thing now - don't get away with taking public funding (even if restricted solely to charitable tax breaks) without providing actual PUBLIC services.
This hasn't come out of the blue though, as they were told 2 years ago when the legislation passed that they would have to change or lose their status when the grace period expired.
Hopefully the services will be taken over non-denominationally, or even by a different faith faction; with the staff, building and of course children already there, is it as simple as changing management?
I suppose it depends entirely on how much funding/staffing is provided by 'stalwart' Catholics. :(
Posted by: PM | Jun 3, 2009 9:39:16 AM
Anyone using God as an excuse to hate or discriminate against homosexuals is lying to themselves and to God about their motives.
Posted by: Bobby | Jun 3, 2009 9:46:17 AM
Do they refuse to place children with couples where one or both are divorcees. They're living in sin just like the gays. Yet somehow I don't imagine they bar such adoptions, proving this isn't a religious question, but a simple matter of Church sponsored discrimination.
Posted by: Alex | Jun 3, 2009 10:14:10 AM
Fine! Take their charity status and public funding away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They CAN'T have it both ways!!!
Posted by: Jake | Jun 3, 2009 10:15:05 AM
I'm really tired of the US and its institutionalized discrimination. Bravo to the UK for protecting its citizens civil liberties. Will we ever get to that point over here?
Posted by: samwise | Jun 3, 2009 10:19:27 AM
Excellent! If only the US were so forward thinking...
Posted by: ichabod | Jun 3, 2009 10:21:29 AM
The public shouldn't have been funding a Catholic church program in the first place. This is a long-overdue correction. As long as the Catholic priests can keep their hands off the kids and avoid further litigation, the church has plenty of money to fund it themselves. At that point, they're welcome to discriminate as much as they want.
Posted by: The Milkman | Jun 3, 2009 10:28:25 AM
I dont think they would be allowed to discriminate even if they weren't a charity or using public money. Not sure though because i havent studied the letter of the law in detail.
Posted by: Rovex | Jun 3, 2009 10:55:55 AM
Now if we only had the guts to tell churches here they can't contribute to ballot initiatives as well as candidate campaigns...
Posted by: Bruno | Jun 3, 2009 11:28:43 AM
Would a Catholic adoption agency refuse to allow Jewish or Muslim parents to adopt? In adoption, in employment, etc, these are *public* agencies once they'd taken public dollars.
As we continue to struggle for gay equality in all aspects, we can and should allow churches to *marry* only whom they choose. And that's it. The *only* concession.
Posted by: adamblast | Jun 3, 2009 11:54:13 AM
You know, I've read the Bible backwards and forwards and I still can't find that passage, chapter or verse that says couples of the same-sex cannot adopt children. I also can't seem to find that passage, chapter or verse that says committed, loving couples of the same sex cannot get married. Of course, this news story will give our own wing-nut christos the ammo they need to say, "See! THIS is what will happen if same-sex marriage is legal in this country!"
Posted by: mike | Jun 3, 2009 2:10:33 PM
Anyone who would deny a loving stable adoptive home to a child in need is despicable and evil.
Posted by: David R. | Jun 3, 2009 5:23:48 PM