Oklahoma lawmakers proposed new legislation that would preserve the rights of religious foster parents, and it has moved forward from an Oklahoma House committee.
State Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader said that the proposal, known as Senate Bill 658, simply clarifies that no one can be excluded from the list of people who can be considered for a foster parent based on religious or moral beliefs.
Protecting Religious Foster Parents
The bill, originally introduced by State Sen. Julie Daniels and Crosswhite Hader, states that the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) cannot require any current or prospective adoptive or foster parent to "affirm, accept, or support any government policy regarding sexual orientation or gender identity that conflicts with the parent's sincerely held religious or moral beliefs as a condition for eligibility to adopt or foster."
Additionally, the proposed legislation requires state officials to take "into account the religious or moral beliefs of a particular adoptive or foster child, or his or her family of origin." This will be in place when they are determining where they would place a child, according to OCPA.
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The proposal comes despite lawmakers acknowledging that there have been no widespread reports of religious families being excluded from the pool of foster parents in Oklahoma. However, this is not the case in many other states across the country.
For example, under California state law, prospective foster parents are required to proactively "affirm" a child's chosen gender identity or sexual orientation. The California Policy Council reported that the law has resulted in a so-called "purge" of Christian foster parents across the state as they were being "systematically excluded" from the state's foster care system.
Adhering to LGBT Ideology
The Oklahoma bill comes as Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed House Bill 2311, which prohibited the state from requiring prospective foster families to adhere to LGBT ideology. This happened as other states have prevented religious Americans from serving as foster parents due to their views on the issues, the Christian Post reported.
In her veto message, Kelly said that the Kansas Department of Children and Families' top priority should be the best interest of foster kids. She added that legislations similar to the one she vetoed stray away from this focus.
The governor added that children who are in need of care already struggle against various challenges. She said she would not sign legislation that could potentially complicate their lives even further. Kelly expressed concerns that the bill could expose Kansas to frivolous lawsuits, as per the Kansas Reflector.
