The Biden Administration has been on a warpath against religion since he stepped into office. That has continued as we near yet another election, with a new rule proposal for the foster care system that would all but strip Christians of their power in a home.
The rule from Health and Human Services, called Safe and Appropriate Foster Care Placement Requirements, would mandate that foster parents and families utilize a foster child’s "identified pronouns, chosen name, and allow the child to dress in an age-appropriate manner that the child believes reflects their self-identified gender identity and expression."
President of Texas Values Jonathan Saenz says this is another battle in Biden's war on religion and is unconstitutional under Supreme Court law.
"You will have catholic charities and groups...saying that it violates their religious beliefs...dressing a biological boy like a girl. Who knows, maybe after that they ask for a surgery to alter their sex," he says. "That will put them into a position where they cannot participate because it violates their beliefs."
To mention The Supreme Court, they ruled in a 2021 Philadelphia case that refusal to contract with a Catholic social services group unless it agreed to certify same-sex couples as foster parents violated the First Amendment.
The idea is controversial to say the least. It would then create bigger issues in the broken foster care system as well.
"Christian entities are some of the largest percentages of foster and adoption services...so the government should be doing everything to make sure they are welcome and part of the process," he says.
HHS anticipates that the number of children in the foster care system would increase to 416,500 by 2027. That compared to 2022, where there were 391,000 children in foster care.
As is with most people, more red tape usually turns people off an idea entirely. They do not want to jump through unnecessary hoops.
"Those incredible people and entities...they need to be encouraged; it does not need to be harder. They do not need to be disqualified because they are Christians," he says.
Now, Saenz notes that this idea would go against state law as it is, so there would surely be legal actions to sift through. But in the state too, over 25 percent of the foster care providers are faith-based.
"Why would you want to push them out...or make them violate their conscience...it just does not make sense," he says. "This rule would violate state law...then waste time in litigation while kids are still out in the cold."
While it may not be the biggest battle on the 2024 election plate, buckle up. Because it will be one of the more important underrated ones heading to the ballot box.
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