Oklahoma Congressman Josh Brecheen (R) says the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is ignoring constitutionally protected religious freedom with its proposal to require foster parents to fully affirm children's homosexual or transgender leanings.
The Christian Post explains that the HHS proposal addresses its potential implications on religious liberty and notes the protections of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. It also maintains that the rule "would not require any faith-based provider to seek designation as a safe and appropriate provider for LGBTQI+ children … if the provider had sincerely held religious objections to doing so."
Still, agencies would be required to "make placements consistent with the child's self-identified gender identity," which means Bible-believing people of faith would be excluded.
Brecheen says the federal government is twisting the First Amendment.
"It was designed to keep from having a Church of England," he asserts. "That's the context our founders came from. They saw the damage in Europe; that's what they were trying to prevent, and that's when they put in Article 1 – that there would be no establishment of religion. It meant that the government was not going to dictate that you have to ascribe to this creed, or you're going to be punished. That's what it was about. Never this."
He and Rep. Mary Miller (R-Illinois) have introduced the Protecting Religious Freedom for Foster Families Act, which would prohibit HHS from implementing this proposal and discriminating against foster parents who do not affirm LGBTQ+ ideology.
Brecheen says it is time to stand on the Constitution to prevent government interference.
"Just like the man who's choosing to say no to pornography, say no to sexual temptations, say no to fornication, it's a choice," the congressman submits. "The same thing with adultery and for all of this nation getting it wrong on sexual immorality – we need to start standing up and saying that this is not one and the same to the civil rights era."
Christians make up an estimated 25% of those who provide foster care.
