Buy Now Christine Flowers A few years ago, an LGBTQ couple approached Bethany Christian Services with an interest in becoming foster parents. Bethany Christian, which maintained a contract with of Philadelphia to provide foster care, turned them down based on a religious opposition to same-sex unions. The Philadelphia Inquirer published a story about the incident and mentioned that Catholic Social Services had a similar arrangement with the city and refused to consider LGBTQ couples. After the story appeared, Bethany Christian changed its policy to accept members of the LGBTQ community. Catholic Social Services did not, and its contract was canceled. It sued the city on grounds that its religious rights were being violated. The named plaintiff was Sharonell Fulton, a foster parent who had worked with the Catholic agency for many years. Two lower courts ruled against the agency, holding that the same-sex ban amounted to discrimination in violation of the city charter. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case . And my reaction was: Amen. Many believe that receiving public funds requires you to accommodate the mandates of your secular sponsor, even if they violate your civil rights. A number of commentators praised lower […]
