Alabama Foster Mom Denied Adoption Because of Her Secular Beliefs

An Alabama foster mom was denied adoption, despite her experience with children from challenging and complex homes, because of her secular beliefs.

Alaina Browning, a 30-year-old librarian in a stable marriage, wanted to expand her family with her husband and 5-year-old daughter. However, the family's plans to permanently welcome a new child into their family have been met with some resistance from the state's adoption system.

Per CBS 42, the foster mom was told she could not adopt because of her family's non-religious beliefs. When asked to explain further what this meant, Susan Wyatt of Alabama Family Adoption Services said that the Brownings are "atheist/agnostic," which does not align with what they want for their adoptive families.

Wyatt further told Browning that no other adoption agency in Alabama would accept their bid to have a child because they lacked a spiritual life. The foster mom was told to look for options outside of the state if they were still keen on pursuing their plans.

It's the Birth Mothers' Wishes

According to Only Sky Media, the Alabama Family Adoption Services is not a faith-based company, and they have worked on the adoption of babies for same-sex couples. But Wyatt explained that the spiritual requirement did not come from them, but it was usually the birth mother's wishes. She's aware of what she was speaking about, having done this service for families for 36 years.

Wyatt said they had placed kids in Jewish or Indian families or families that embrace a belief system. She implied that their agency doesn't have anything against secular families, but they have to acknowledge the birth mother's wishes.

But when asked if the agency would consider the Browning family if a birth mother was not particular about religion, Wyatt said they had never encountered such a case before. She said that she and her husband, who co-owns the agency, would have to discuss this at length.

Despite what she heard from Wyatt, Browning chose to see the positive side and said that perhaps the woman from the adoption service was trying to save her from the heartache of more rejections. Browning did grow up in a church family but felt that some religions lacked integrity as she was getting older. She believes that a lack of belief system does not make her immoral.

Arizona Signs New Law Favoring Faith-Based Adoption Agencies

Meanwhile, in Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey, who was also adopted as a child, signed Senate Bill 1399, which will allow faith-based adoption or foster agencies to decide on the cases based on the religious views of the would-be parents. The law serves as a shield for these agencies from potential discrimination lawsuits.

However, the Anti-Defamation League believes that the law will only worsen the problem of discrimination against adopted parents, especially among Jewish families, per the Arizona Mirror. Even the LGBTQ advocacy group said that the law would impact same-sex couples and make it harder for children to find their forever homes.