NEW YORK — Family Equality Council welcomes a statement from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announcing a settlement agreement in a case brought by two same-sex couples who were turned away by taxpayer-funded, state-contracted foster care and adoption agencies.
Attorney General Nessel said today: “Discrimination in the provision of foster care 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 home not only goes against the state’s goal of finding a home for every child, it is a direct violation of the contract every child placing agency enters into with the state.”
“The guiding principle of the child welfare system is that the needs of children in care must always come first, and we are pleased to see that the State of Michigan recognizes the importance of that guiding principle,” said Denise Brogan-Kator, chief policy officer at Family Equality Council. “Attorney General Nessel makes clear Michigan’s commitment to upholding existing nondiscrimination protections. Furthermore, Nessel’s statement demonstrates that she understands that while religious freedom is a core American value, religious beliefs should never be used as an excuse to harm others, or in this case, to reduce the number of loving homes available to children in the Michigan child welfare system.”
Click here to view a video statement from Attorney General Nessel.
About Family Equality Council
Family Equality Council advances legal and lived equality for LGBTQ families, and for those who wish to form them, through building community, changing hearts and minds, and driving policy change. Family Equality Council believes every LGBTQ person should have the right and opportunity to form and sustain a loving family, regardless of who they are or where they live. Learn more at familyequality.org.
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Media Contact:
Ed Harris, Chief Communications Officer, Family Equality Council
646-880-3005 x117 / eharris@familyequality.org