ACLU of Georgia Urges State Senate to Remove Anti-LGBT Language from Adoption Bill

ATLANTA – The ACLU of Georgia today called on members of the Georgia Senate to remove language inserted into House Bill 159 last week that would allow state-funded adoption agencies to discriminate against LGBT Georgians.

“It’s a sad day when a bill that was supposed to be about helping foster kids gets turned into a vehicle for state-sanctioned discrimination against LGBT Georgians,” said Andrea Young, Executive Director of the ACLU of Georgia. “We are encouraged by the growing number of leaders from both parties, including Governor Nathan Deal, who are speaking out against this discriminatory provision that would make it harder for foster children to find forever homes. We urge the Senate to stand up for kids and families by removing this anti-LGBT language from HB 159.”

HB 159 would allow state-funded adoption and foster care placement agencies to discriminate against families based on the agency’s moral convictions or religious beliefs. This could prevent LGBT couples, interfaith couples, divorced people, and many otherwise qualified, loving people from adopting children. This discrimination would harm not only the caring families seeking to adopt, but also vulnerable children in the foster care system in Georgia by denying them access to important services and forever homes.

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