The Biden administration’s Department of Health and Human Services Department (HHS) believes that Christians and others who hold traditional, moral values are not “safe” for children in foster care. At the end of September, they released a proposed rule of “safe and appropriate foster care placement requirements.”

As Family Research Council’s Arielle Del Turco explains in The Washington Stand,

In a lengthy discussion on religious freedom, the text refers to faith-based agencies that do not affirm harmful gender ideology as “entit[ies] that will not provide a safe and appropriate placement” for “LGBTQI+ children.” The proposed rule explains that such “entit[ies] that will not provide a safe and appropriate placement” will transfer LGBT-identifying children to foster care providers that will “provide a safe and appropriate placement as described by the finalized rule.”

Del Turco went on to say,

“It is greatly alarming that a federal rule would refer to faith-based organizations this way. It is beyond marginalizing towards Christians. In fact, Christians are inaccurately made to sound dangerous.”

Additionally, this HHS proposed rule could severely decrease the number of families that are available to provide homes to foster children. As Representatives Robert Aderholt (R-AL), Mary Miller (R-IL), and Josh Brecheen (R-OK) wrote in a letter to HSS on November 27,

…[T]he foster care system in the United States is in deep crisis. The most recent Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) report identified 407,318 children and adolescents in foster care during Fiscal Year 2021, of which 113,589 awaited adoptions. While children are desperately in need of foster homes, the number of foster homes is declining.

Faith-based providers play a critical role in providing safe homes to children in foster care. As Rep. Aderholt’s press release states,

“studies have revealed that 82% of families point to faith-based or church support as a factor for successful fostering; thus, undermining their involvement in foster care would diminish chances of successful foster placements.”

What can we do to stop this discrimination against faith-based foster care agencies and Christians who want to care for foster children in their homes?

Del Turco suggests reaching out to the White House directly, expressing your concerns about this rule. She also notes that Christians can help by…

“promoting good ideas to those around us and on social media –ideas such as: Christian families are ready to love any child and should be considered safe placements for all children; Christian foster care agencies have faithfully served for a long time and do an excellent job—and they should be praised, not marginalized by federal rules: and, it’s imperative that we protect our First Amendment freedoms for individuals and foster care agencies.”