Illinois Ending Foster Care Relationship With Catholic Charities

In May, Catholic Charities of Rockford announced that it would end its adoption and foster care program if the state forced them to grant applications to same-sex or unmarried couples. Since the diocese made the move, the state has been in a constant battle with Catholic Charities--and this week, decided to end the relationship.

The battle began in January, when lawmakers passed the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act, which went into effect June 1. The law says that if an agency receives state money, it cannot discriminate against same-sex couples, and must treat people in civil unions as it would treat married couples. Catholic Charities has been working to get the legislation amended, hoping it would allow faith-based organizations to "decline an adoption or foster family home application" to a couple in a civil union "if acceptance of that application would constitute a violation of the organization's sincerely held religious beliefs." A Senate committee voted down the amendment in April, and a House committee did the same in May.

Since the organization insisted on placing children only with married couples, the state has decided not to renew any foster care and adoption contracts with Catholic Charities, the Chicago Tribune reported Monday.

"We can not enter into a contract for services with anyone who has publicly affirmatively stated that we will not follow the law in delivering those services," Kendall Marlowe, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services told the Tribune. "These agencies have chosen this course and we must now plan to transition these cases with the least disruption for the children we serve."

The move comes as Catholic Charities awaits court action on the matter. Last month, attorneys from the Thomas More Society -- a pro-life, non-profit Chicago law center focusing on abortion-related issues -- filed a petition in a downstate court on behalf of the organization, asking a judge to rule definitively on whether their foster care and adoption agencies could continue to turn away unmarried parents, including those in civil unions, despite receiving funding from the state.

Peter Breen, executive director and legal counsel for the Thomas More Society, told HuffPost Chicago last month that Catholic Charities is hoping the judgment will bring some clarity, and allow them to "operate in the same way that they've been operating for decades."

Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office told the Tribune that they would "respond to Catholic Charities' arguments in court."

Currently, just under 2,500 children throughout Illinois are under Catholic Charities' care, approximately one-sixth of the state's total of 15,600 children currently under substitute care. When Rockford ended its foster care program in May, the Youth Services Bureau of Illinois Valley, based in Ottawa, Ill., took over the 300-plus Catholic Charities cases, and brought in Catholic Charities support staff as well.

Marlowe, who previously said there is no room for discrimination in child welfare, said the state has a strong network of child welfare agencies that will make the transition a smooth one. On Monday, Governor Pat Quinn said that Catholic Charities "made a choice" to ignore the law, and said the state of Illinois is "not going back" to discriminatory placement of children.

"If an organization... decides they don't want to voluntarily participate with the state, they have that choice and we honor that choice." Quinn said, according to the Capitol Fax Blog. "We have other entities that are involved in foster care that are willing to assume that duty."

Attorneys for Catholic Charities of Peoria, Joliet, Springfield and Belleville told the Associated Press they would seek a court injunction following the state's decision to end the contract.

"The idea that a religious entity needs to check its religion at the door when it takes state money is a false idea," Breen told NPR. "If the theory behind civil unions is live and let live, then those folks who are for civil unions can also be for Catholic Charities, and other religiously based adoption agencies, to provide services to the state which are valuable. And [the agencies] can continue to do it without shutting down -- without compromising their deeply held religious beliefs."

Anthony Martinez, executive director of the Civil Rights Agenda, issued a statement applauding the state's decision Monday.

"Not only is Catholic Charities trying to work around the Civil Union law, by not providing services to a certain group of people, they are also trampling all over the Human Rights Act and ignoring constitutional protections," Martinez said. "That is unacceptable, and it is appropriate that the state of Illinois agree that it is unacceptable. Catholic Charities is acting on behalf of the state when they provide these services, and it is guaranteed by the laws of Illinois that when you accept public funds as an agent of the state you must treat those you serve equally, period."

Comments

[juna]

11:11 PM on 07/14/2011

hmm. Thousands of children under Catholic Charities care. Should I worry?

[Bill J4321]

10:25 AM on 07/13/2011

I guess it would be too much and more than a little apropos for me to ask the Catholic Church to think of the children.

[Annie Mouse]

09:10 PM on 07/12/2011

As a former Catholic, I find their sudden interest in child welfare to be suspect. As their track record indicates, they had no difficulty in placing children in the care of repeat sex offenders -- over and over again. But as Cardinal Mahony pointed out in "Deliver Us From Evil," the offenses of pedophile priests were understandable.....because they were straight.

[gregory57]

06:04 PM on 07/12/2011

The purpose of any adoption agency is to discriminate. They are charged with the well-being of those they place. The Church happens to believe that the same-sex relationship is not an appropriate setting for the healthy development of the children it is responsible for. To insist that Catholic adoption services place children in what it believes to be inappropriate is wrong, and the Church is right to refuse.

If the State determines that the Church's beliefs are against the law, so be it. Be careful in calling this a moral victory. Some day the State may find your religious beliefs (if you have any) to be against the law as well.

[Flip75]

06:40 PM on 07/12/2011

There's no problem with CC wanting to stick to its belief system, convoluted and discriminatory as it is. There IS a problem with them expecting the state to keep giving them public tax dollars to discriminate. That's the issue here, not the hateful dogma of the church.

[Bill J4321]

10:27 AM on 07/13/2011

The Government is not telling the Catholic Church that they can not believe all of those silly things.

They just aren't going to give them citizens' tax dollars to subsidize discrimination.

As that's kinda against EARTHLY law.

[LMPE]

05:14 PM on 07/12/2011

The Roman Catholic Corporation is hellbent on making itself irrelevant.

[gregory57]

06:08 PM on 07/12/2011

The RCC is "hellbent" on following Natural Law. Relevancy is not even on the table. The Church will outlive all of us.

[LMPE]

06:42 PM on 07/12/2011

Regardless of how long the world's oldest corporation lasts, it's going to have fewer and fewer members.

[angelcakesinc]

01:36 AM on 07/13/2011

What exactly does 'natural law' mean? Natural law... appearing in nature? Homosexuality appears in nature too you know. Even raising families. So... what was that about natural again?

[cazsue]

02:09 PM on 07/12/2011

I worked for Catholic Charities for years - a nasty bunch of bigots. Good riddance, let decent people provide the services instead of these bigots.

[gemini68]

01:47 PM on 07/12/2011

You use taxpayer money? You follow the law. If you choose not to do so then look for funding elsewhere. But don't expect the citizens of the State to pay for your right to discriminate.

[cazsue]

02:09 PM on 07/12/2011

Fanned for common sense and compassion.

[r henry]

05:48 PM on 07/12/2011

Absolutely.

[homeroid2]

09:52 AM on 07/12/2011

30% of politicians are Catholic in Illinois....no wonder were in the shape were in.Citizens of Illinois are getting it in the rear also.

[Aldyth]

08:31 AM on 07/12/2011

You cannot take the state's money and then violate state law by how you pick and choose which residents of Illinois you are going to serve.

[Hawkeye2010]

08:34 AM on 07/12/2011

Exactly, you want the state money, you play by the state's rules. If they want to pick and choose who the work with, than they should do it on their own dime.

[MKWaters esq]

07:42 AM on 07/12/2011

One can't be prejudiced and have the money, too. It's not a "service" as in "doing the Lord's work" when you get paid for it. You don't like the terms of the "service," you don't get paid.

[alley boy]

04:45 AM on 07/12/2011

Lay off Catholic Charities, they provided a service to the state that government wasn't able to do themselves and did it cheaply. Now they don't want to provide the same services after an attempt of having gay marriage shoved down their throats. Leave people who have a sense of morality, the few that remain, to their own beliefs, that's in the 1st Amendment also.

[coolmaiden]

05:16 AM on 07/12/2011

They can surely cling to those beliefs. No problem. They just can't have any money from the state. The state has no obligation to fund their problem with gays.

[blue rylie]

08:40 AM on 07/12/2011

No one is taking their sense of morality or their beliefs, they are simply stating that if you take state money then you conform to state law.
Good on the Catholic charities for what they do, and they do a lot, but in this instance the state is right. The charity can continue to operate providing adoption services privately if they so choose.

[Dalm]

02:59 AM on 07/12/2011

Hmm doesn't the constitution mention that there should be no law respecting established religions? Well if changing the law to allow religious groups to choose whether Ito serve those who are considered sinners in their eyes, wouldn't that be giving them rights to go beyond a law because they are a religious group? I feel even tax exempt for religious groups is unconstitutional. In all honesty, they are already recording fed and state money due to that. Well I agree with IL for standing firm on their law!

[TheEpsilon]

02:53 AM on 07/12/2011

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-foster-care-director-profile-20110705,0,208185,full.story

Someone is at least stepping up and helping out the kids effected by all of this...

[Larry Motuz]

10:45 AM on 07/12/2011

Thnaks for this linki.

[ardis]

02:18 AM on 07/12/2011

Catholic Charities is rated at the very top worldwide. This will be BANKRUPT Illinois's loss because Catholic Charities will have no problem operating from another state. Given it's religious bigotry, commissar intolerance & secular progress dogmas no wonder Illinois is an unmitigated basket case of gangs, chronic inner city violence, kids shot in the street, corrupt politicans & socialist defaulting deficits. By their fruits they shall know them.

[sheputstheLinPAIN]

02:37 AM on 07/12/2011

Nice try.

[Kelly Jade]

10:32 AM on 07/12/2011

Actually Illinois puts a set amount towards these charities and the charity makes up the rest through fund raising so it won't bankrupt anyone I didn't have to go beyond your first sentance to know you don't have a clue what you're talking about.

[johnb123]

01:36 AM on 07/12/2011

This is old news. Catholic Charities had already withdrawn from the state. They did this a couple of months ago.

[johnb123]

01:44 AM on 07/12/2011

"Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Rockford already stopped providing foster care and adoption services when the civil union law was passed. Catholic Charities in Chicago stopped providing the services in 2007 because of financial issues."

Like they did in Mass. they will stop doing business with the state on adoptions. I'm sure they will go private.

[Flip75]

06:43 PM on 07/12/2011

Hi John, so glad to see you on a GLBT thread as usual! Did you come out yet?

[Bill J4321]

10:30 AM on 07/13/2011

LOL. Love it!

He's just 'testifying,' as usual.

(I think he's a closet gay, too!)