Please, vote NO on HB836 on Tuesday in the Children & Families Subcommittee.
Child placement policy should be based on the needs of the child and the ability of the parents to provide a loving home.
This bill includes the legally vague phrase "moral convictions," which would lead to prospective parents being turned away arbitrarily for any number of irrelevant reasons.
By including a religious test, the bill opens the door to parents who are Catholic, Jewish, members of a nondenominational congregation, or no particular faith being turned away.
In principle, the state should not support that. In practice, it keeps children who need loving homes and the parents who could offer them apart.
Thank you for considering my views.
