Have gay adoptions been denied in michigan since law
Michigan will no longer fund adoption agencies that discriminate against gays
Michigan will no longer financially support adoption and foster care agencies that refuse to perform with same-sex couples and LGBTQ individuals because of religious beliefs under the terms of a settlement of a lawsuit negotiated by Attorney General Dana Nessel.
The settlement, which was announced Friday, sets up a battle with the Republican-led Legislature, which passed a law in 2015 that allows adoptions agencies to refuse to work with members of the LGBTQ community.
The terms of the settlement call for that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services agrees to maintain nondiscriminatory provisions in its foster care and adoption agency contracts. It also calls for the department to enforce the nondiscrimination provisions by terminating contracts with agencies that either discriminate against same-sex couples or LGBTQ individuals who would otherwise qualify to become foster or adoptive parents or that refer them to other agencies.
In exchange for the policy, the plaintiffs in the case — Kristy and Dana Dumont of Lansing and Erin and Rebecca Busk-Sutton of Detroit — have agreed to dismiss th
LGBTQ adoptions are still tough in Michigan, lawmakers desire that to change
LANSING, Mich. — Kathleen Edsall and her partner have adopted eight children over the last 25 years. The East Lansing couple has navigated the adoption process in three different states.
Kathleen Edsall and her partner have adopted eight children over the last 25 years.
Michigan has been the most difficult.
Even after the Marriage Equality Operate made same-sex marriage legal in the United States, a 2015 Michigan commandment allowed private adoption agencies to turn away people looking to adopt for religious reasons.
That meant single-parent homes, LGBTQ families, and couples were forced to look elsewhere.
In the years since interpretations of the law have discouraged discrimination in same-sex adoptions but the laws aren’t official, state Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr. said.
Senator Curtis Hertel Jr.
“I want to codify into statute that those discriminations should never have existed,” he said. “As somebody who has adopted a child I can tell you that kids need love, they need a lot of care but they don’t care what the sexuality of their parents are and we have thousands of kids right now that need homes in Mich
State-Funded Michigan Adoption Agencies Must Now Perform with LGBT Parents
A recently settled lawsuit in Michigan now protects the rights of LGBT parents to work with state-funded adoption agencies — free of discrimination.
First, a little history: Endorse in 2017, the ACLU sued the state of Michigan over a case where two womxn loving womxn couples claimed they were rejected as adoptive parents by a state-funded adoption agency. The couples claimed the rejection was because of their sexual orientation.
Last week, on March 22, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel reached a settlement over the case with the ACLU — the terms of which state that faith-based, state-funded adoption agencies in Michigan can no longer be legally allowed to turn away gay couples or LGBTQ individuals based on religious objection. The settlement recognizes that the state’s previous law allowing for such actions on religious grounds actually violates federal anti-discrimination laws.
In a statement, Nessel said, “Discrimination in the provision of foster tend case management and adoption services is illegal, no matter the rationale. Limiting the opportunity for a child to be adopted or fostered by a loving ho
Anti-LGBTQ adoption bills 'snowballing' in state legislatures, rights group says
Kristy Dumont and her wife, Dana, had been hoping to foster a toddler, so they approached Catholic Charities in Michigan in 2016. The two women, however, said they were “shut down” due to their sexual orientation.
“We didn’t get any farther than the first phone call,” Kristy Dumont told NBC News.
The Dumonts proceeded to sue the state, and on March 22 the couple reached a settlement with Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel's office. Under the settlement, faith-based adoption agencies that are funded by the state of Michigan will no longer be fit to turn away LGBTQ couples or individuals because of religious objections.
Kristy and Dana Dumont said they are “thrilled” with the outcome of the case and hope to foster a kid soon.
But while Michigan is making it harder for agencies to deny woman loving woman, gay, bisexual and transgender prospective parents, a number of other states are moving in the opposite direction.
"Adoption discrimination is snowballing toward a serious crisis for children, families and communities,” Liz Welch, a faith engagement strategist at the American Civil Liberties
Michigan Sued After Gay Couples Are Rejected for Adoption
Michigan is illegally allowing faith-based organizations to reject queer couples who want to adopt children or get foster parents, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said Wednesday in a lawsuit challenging the practice.
The state pays groups such as Catholic Charities and Bethany Christian Services to place children from troubled families with new families. The ACLU said Michigan is violating the U.S. Constitution by allowing the groups to use a religious test to haul out public services.
Allowing agencies to discriminate could be the difference "between a child finding a immortal loving home or staying in the system," ACLU attorney Jay Kaplan said.
Related: Arizona Supreme Court Says Gays Get Equal Parental Rights
Republican Gov. Rick Snyder signed a law in 2015 that says child-placement agencies aren't required to provide services that fight with their beliefs. It was signed, however, before the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage.
The Department of Health and Human Services declined to comment on the lawsuit, which was filed in Detroit federal court, and instead referred to the law.
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