Despite best efforts from activists, lawmakers vote in favor of discriminatory law
State lawmakers on Tuesday voted in favor of an adoption bill that would allow adoption and foster care agencies to deny prospective same-sex or transgender applicants on the basis of religious freedom.
House Bill 24, also called the “Child Placing Agency Inclusion Act”, passed the Senate last week and was approved by the House in a unanimous 87-0 vote.
Althought the bill makes no mention of the LGBT community, it purpose is to “prohibit the state from discriminating against child-placing agencies on the basis that the provider declines to provide a child placement that conflicts with the religious beliefs of the provider.”
“This bill is not about prohibiting gay and lesbian couples from adopting or fostering a child,” said Rep. Rich Wingo, one of the sponsors of HB24 to AL.com. “It’s about protecting and not discriminating against faith-based agencies that, due to their religious beliefs, could have their right to choose where to place a child taken away from them.”
The bill has unsurprisingly been heavily condemned by the LGBT community and human rights activists with some calling it “a thinly veiled assault on LGBTQ rights.”
Critics have warned Alabama that passing of the bill will have serious repercussions.
In Thailand, there are no specific laws against same-sex couples adopting, but under the Thailand adoption laws, a couple must be married to be able to adopt and Thai marriage laws do not recognize marriage between same-sex individuals, thereby barring the LGBT community from adopting.
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