A coalition of Republican attorneys general, led by Alabama's Steve Marshall, has issued a stern warning to the Biden administration over a proposed policy that they argue could potentially marginalize Christian families in the foster care system and destabilize the system on a national scale.
The group of 19 attorneys general submitted a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Monday, expressing their concerns about the proposed policy. The policy would impose new requirements on foster families across the nation, including the obligation to acknowledge and affirm a child's self-identified gender identity.
The attorneys general argue that this policy not only infringes upon constitutional rights but also discriminates against those who adhere to Christian beliefs, as reported by Fox News.
The letter details that the new policy would require foster parents to "utilize the childs identified pronouns, chosen name, and allow the child to dress in an age-appropriate manner that the child believes reflects their self-identified gender identity and expression."
The attorneys general drew attention to the Supreme Court's ruling in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia in 2021. The court found that Philadelphia's refusal to renew a contract with a Catholic social services group, on the grounds that it did not endorse same-sex couples as foster parents, was a violation of the First Amendment.
The letter also highlights the HHS's own projections, which anticipate a significant increase in the number of children in the foster care system, from 391,000 in 2022 to an estimated 416,500 by 2027.
The attorneys general argue that "caring for children in need is a duty of the Christian faith," and that excluding Christian families would inevitably damage the foster care system. "The foster care system depends on individuals and organizations of faith," the letter states.
The letter cites examples from Arkansas, where faith-based groups reportedly recruited nearly half of the state's foster homes, and New Mexico, where all private placement agencies are Christian.
The attorneys general contend that the proposed rule could deter individuals and faith-based organizations from participating in the foster care system, thereby exacerbating the strain on the system by reducing the number of available foster homes.
In a statement to Fox News, Attorney General Marshall said, "Joe Biden continues to harass our State and others like it by implicitly threatening to withhold federal funding for children in need if we do not conform to his ideology, but our values are not for sale."
He continued, "Since the first century, Christians across the globe have answered the call to provide a home and a family to children who had neither. Alabama boasts a particularly strong faith-based foster care and adoption community, and I will fight this Administration for them every step of the way."
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