Illinios judge .stops. state from dropping Catholic Charities from foster care

Okay, Colbert wasn't the judge, but you get the idea
SPRINGFIELD --- A judge in Springfield today ordered that Catholic Charities can keep serving foster children despite the state’s decision to eliminate their contract.

The order is temporary and a hearing will take place in August on the issue.

Sangamon County Judge John Schmidt issued the ruling after both sides offered lengthy arguments in court this afternoon. Schmidt said that his order freezes the state’s contract with Catholic Charities as it was before the state decided to cut it off earlier this month.

Three Catholic Charities groups sought the injunction to continue serving families and abiding by Catholic principles that prohibit placing children with unmarried cohabiting couples.

"We're not sure what the state is intending to do or how it's intending to do it," said Peter Breen, an attorney with the Thomas More Society representing Catholic Charities. "It's a surprise. But it's also very disturbing. The impact on the [nearly 2,000] children in Catholic Charities care will be catastrophic."
Chicago Tribune

HT Bliss

1 comment:

Siarlys Jenkins said...

I didn't mean to be first, but I agree with the decision. There are a lot of ways to apply legal principles to this, nearly all of which lead to this injunction.

There is no established science which shows that children are not subtlely harmed or deprived when they lack one parent of each sex -- and the natural process provides them one, so maybe adoption should try to imitate it.

The state has no legitimate interest in favoring a one size fits all approach.

Just because gay couples may legally cohabit and perhaps even obtain some certificate of recognition from the civil authority, does not mean that churches should abrogate their own principles.

The "right" of gay couples to adopt is about self-affirmation for the prospective parents, rather than about the best placement for the children.

I don't object to adoption services which openly agree to place children for adoption with gay couples doing so... as long as it is transparent. But there is no reason other options should be forcefully denied.

Now I'm wandering into my own preference, so it is time to stop.