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Virginia's social services board is reconsidering whether it should prohibit faith-based adoption agencies from discriminating against same-sex couples. Today is the last day the board is accepting public comment on the issue.
The proposed changes include anti-discrimination language that would force faith-based adoption agencies -- which have to be licensed by the state -- to provide equal consideration to same-sex couples looking to adopt.
The social services board rejected the change in April, but after a public outcry, the board decided to give residents another chance to weigh in.
Faith-based groups, such as Catholic Charities, say the changes would force them to choose between upholding their beliefs and providing services, and would be an egregious violation of religious liberty.
Rob Keeling, a gay adoptive parent living in Richmond, disagrees. "I don't think this is about their rights, or the rights of gays and lesbians," he says. "This is about the rights of children, to find a home with qualified and loving parent who is willing to open up their hearts and their homes to these children."
Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has said the social services board lacks the authority to prohibit discrimination in adoptions based on sexual orientation.
Giant Renaissance Food People Descend Upon New York
Giuseppe Arcimboldo was a 16th-century artist who liked to play with his food, transforming it into the building blocks of many of his fantastical portraits. Artist Philip Haas has taken those portraits out of museums, reinterpreting them as colossal statues that interact with the natural environment.Giant Renaissance Food People Descend Upon New York
Giuseppe Arcimboldo was a 16th-century artist who liked to play with his food, transforming it into the building blocks of many of his fantastical portraits. Artist Philip Haas has taken those portraits out of museums, reinterpreting them as colossal statues that interact with the natural environment.Nonconservative Groups Say IRS Scrutinized Them, Too
The IRS has admitted it flagged tax-exemption requests from groups with "tea party" or "patriot" in their names starting in 2010. But some liberal groups and journalism organizations say their applications also faced long delays during the same period.Book News: Amazon May Be Called Before Parliament Over Taxes
Also: AARP and The Nation join a growing list of ebook publishers; Hilary Mantel on Jane Austen; Anne Applebaum on Sheryl Sandberg.Leave a Comment
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