Catholic Charities offices from three dioceses in Illinois have filed
suit against the state after having to shut down their adoption and
foster care services following the enactment of the state's civil union
law on June 1.
“Child welfare advocates know it is in the best
interest of Illinois children for Catholic Charities to stay in this
business,” said Steven Roach, head of Catholic Charities in the Diocese
of Springfield.
“It’s tragic that there are people who believe
unnecessarily disrupting the lives of thousands of vulnerable children
is an acceptable outcome in this situation.”
Catholic Charities
organizations in the Dioceses of Springfield, Peoria and Joliet filed a
lawsuit in Sangamon County Circuit Court on June 7 seeking to legally
continue their current practices of working only with married couples
and single, non-cohabiting individuals.
The suit was filed against the
Illinois Attorney General and the Department of Children and Family
Services.
The “State of Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and
Civil Unions Act,” which became law on June 1, does not allow child
welfare agencies to restrict their adoption and foster care work to
married heterosexual couples, even in cases where these agencies partner
with religious groups.
Rather than violate Catholic teaching,
the three dioceses – along with the Diocese of Rockford which has not
filed suit – chose to halt all state-funded adoptions and foster care
placements.
However, in an effort to reverse the situation,
attorneys from the Thomas More Society filed a brief on behalf of the
charities Tuesday, arguing that the new civil unions law includes
protections for the religious freedom of entities like Catholic
Charities.
Attorneys argue that the Illinois Human Rights Act also
exempts religious adoption agencies from the civil union law, and that
civil union couples are free to choose among dozens of other
organizations for adoption or foster care services.
Catholic
Charities have served thousands of children and families since 1921 and
handle about 20 percent of the adoption and foster care cases in
Illinois.
“Religious and faith-based entities need not check their
beliefs at the door when providing vital social services for the
benefit of needy and vulnerable children and families in Illinois,” said
Tom Brejcha of the Thomas More Society.
“Catholic Charities has a
clear right under Illinois law to pursue its charitable good works in
the true spirit of the Gospels and the Sermon on the Mount, faithful to
the essential tenets of its Catholic faith,” he added.
“We will advocate strongly to protect Catholic Charities’ continuing its mission of social service.”