Washington D.C., Mar 2, 2021 / 15:00 pm
A leading Christian adoption agency will now work with same-sex couples looking to foster or adopt children, in a change of its nationwide policy reported on Monday.
Bethany Christian Services, which is the largest Protestant adoption and foster care agency in the United States, has updated its inclusivity policy on matching children with same-sex couples. The new "nationwide policy of inclusivity" will "serve all families across Bethany's core service lines."
In addition, the new policy also removes the agency's 2007 statement that "God's design for the family is a covenant and lifelong marriage of one man and one woman," according to the New York Times.
After a 2019 lawsuit, Bethany Christian Services began placing children with same-sex couples in 12 states, including in Michigan. Its updated policy extends this practice to all of its locations in the United States. Meanwhile, Catholic adoption agencies in several states have closed rather than comply with mandates that they work with same-sex couples.