Same-sex ´marriage´ Law Forces D.C. Catholic Charities to Close Adoption Program

2/18/2010
Catholic News Agency (www.catholicnewsagency.com)

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNA) - Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington announced today that it is shutting down its foster care and public adoption program. The District of Columbia said the charity would be ineligible for service because of the new law recognizing same-sex "marriage."

"Although Catholic Charities has an 80-year legacy of high quality service to the vulnerable in our nation�s capital, the D.C. Government informed Catholic Charities that the agency would be ineligible to serve as a foster care provider due to the impending D.C. same-sex marriage law," the organization said in a statement.

The Catholic Charities affiliate transitioned its foster and adoption program to the National Center for Children and Families (NCCF) on Feb. 1. The transition includes seven staff, 43 children and their biological families, and 35 foster families. The transition was scheduled to coincide with the expiration of the current contract between Catholic Charities and D.C.�s Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA).

"Foster care has been an important ministry for us for many decades. We worked very hard to be able to continue to provide these services in the District," said Ed Orzechowski, president and CEO of Catholic Charities D.C.

"We regret that our efforts to avoid this outcome were not successful."

Orzechowski expressed gratitude to the staff and foster families involved in the program.

The D.C. City Council�s law recognizing same-sex "marriage" required religious entities which serve the general public to provide services to homosexual couples, even if doing so violated their religious beliefs. Exemptions were allowed only for performing marriages or for those entities which do not serve the public.

The archdiocese and legal experts criticized the exemptions for being too narrow.

D.C. law also now requires partners with the city to provide benefits for same-sex couples. This also poses a problem for Catholic Charities, though the Washington Post reports that the organization is optimistic it can structure benefits in a way that would allow it to remain in partnerships with the city.

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, slammed the District�s actions.

"Archbishop Donald Wuerl is a man of principle and prudence: he did not want to end the foster-care program, but he was left with no realistic option," Donohue said Wednesday. "District lawmakers could have granted the kind of religious exemptions that would have ensured a continuation of services, but instead they sought to create a Catch-22 situation for the archdiocese.

"Surely they knew that Archbishop Wuerl was not going to negotiate Catholic Church teachings on marriage, yet that hardly mattered to them. The real losers are the children who were served by the Catholic Church."

Those who characterized the Catholic Church�s actions on the issue as neglectful of the children, Donohue claimed, were "phonies."

"Archbishop Wuerl isn't about to allow the state to run roughshod over Catholic doctrine, and that is why he is being forced to drop the foster-care program."

CNA sought comment from Archbishop of Louisville Joseph E. Kurtz, chairman of the U.S. Bishops� Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage. He was unavailable for an interview.

Catholic Charities of Boston was forced to close its adoption services in 2006 because it would no longer place children with homosexual couples, as required by state law. Laws have also forced Catholic adoption societies in Britain either to close or to disaffiliate from the Church

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1 - 10 of 10 Comments

jamie
3 years ago
John said that the "most stable of households are those where the children live with married biological parents."

However, in the study that you was cited, researchers were studying married couples raising children against SINGLE PARENT households. In fact, the married couples group included adoptive parents that were not biologically related to their children. Biology has nothing to do with the issue.

What about all the children that are being raised in this country by same sex couples? Is it right and just to deny them the stability and economic benefit that marriage would provide? If you are really concerned about ALL the children we would seek to provide as much stability for them as possible, not seek to handicap their families by denying them access to laws, protections, responsibility, and respect.
Larry M
3 years ago
Whatever happened to "separation of church and state?"

Oh yeah, it's useful only when serving the needs of secularists.
Carmela J.
3 years ago
I don't understand the people who are complaining that the Church has closed down this D.C. program. They seem to want the Church to fix all the problems in the world by itself, then point fingers when we're not able to do so. Our ability to function in an area is limited when we meet with active opposition from the government.

You made the right decision, Archbishop Wuerl.
John D
3 years ago
Som,e of you might point to a January 2010 USA Today article proclaiming same sex parenting as equal to traditional marriage. That research and its conclusions are not without controversy. Read about it here:

http://www.crosswalk.com/parenting/11625693/
John D
3 years ago
It should be obvious that stable households produce, on average, more successful children. And, the most stable of households are those where the children live with married biological parents. I'm sorry if you don't fall into that category, but that is what the research is showing. That is why the church has fought so hard to protect the sanctity of marriage, because it is in the best interest of the children. Does anyone really believe that it is good for a child to have a broken home? Read about it here:

http://www.cief.ca/guest_articles/marriage_matters.htm

healthymarriageinfo.org/docs/May08Marriage_Brief3.pdf

The message should be clear. If you want the best possible future for your children, put an enormous effort into your marriage to create a happy, stable environment.

Put the children first.
Paul
3 years ago
Jon: Last I checked, the homosexuals were taxed just like everyone else. Catholic Charities was operating a business that took local tax money in order to place abandoned children in loving adoptive homes.

It makes no sense whatsoever, that this business should be allowed to take money from every citizen, then pick and chose who they wanted to serve by denying adoption services to people that they simply don't like.
Jon
3 years ago
Paul,

Your comment makes no since. However, I am curious about what you have against the Catholic Church helping to place Children with parents that will raise them, love them, and take care of them?
Bulbajer
3 years ago
Although I am for letting gays adopt, I don't think this is really benefitting anybody to close down a charity program.
ALICIA NGUYEN
3 years ago
This so called Same-sex �marriage� Law causes "reverse discrimination" in our society against Catholics or other Christians, who have every right to their belief. FACT-Homosexuality is a health hazadous to society. According to the FDA: "Men who have sex with other men ... are currently deferred as blood donors" and according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC): At least 60% of HIV/AIDS victims are men who have sex with men. Check this out for yourself.

So go and protest at the offices of FDA and CDC for discrimination.

http://www.fda.gov/biologicsbloodvaccines/bloodbloodproducts/questionsaboutblood/ucm108186.htm

CDC website on HIV statistics by mode of transmission:

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/basic.htm
Paul
3 years ago
Just like the Catholics to think it would be acceptable to take the homosexual tax money, use it to operate a public adoption agency, and then discriminate.

Here's a thought. How about placing children with parents that will raise them, love them, and take care of them and leave the judgement to God.

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