By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
On June 1, a new civil unions law will go into effect in the state of Illinois, and officials at Catholic Charities have already announced that they will not go against Church teaching and offer their more than 3,000 children for adoption by homosexual couples.
According to HuffPost Chicago, the lines are being drawn in the sand between the state government and faith-based organizations over a new civil unions law that says an agency that receives state dollars cannot discriminate against same-sex couples in any way, including those who wish to adopt children. Thus far, state legislators have failed to pass an amendment allowing exemptions for faith-based organizations which would allow them to refer same-sex couples to “gay friendly” organizations without penalty.
“The Catholic Church is not going to be OK with Catholic Charities processing applications from anyone in a civil union,” said Trish Fox, the head of the Catholic Charities of Peoria, to Chicago Public Radio. “And all we’re asking is that we can continue what we’ve always done, which is refer cohabitating couples, heterosexual or homosexual, to another agency.”
The Chicago Sun Times reports that Catholic Charities, one of the largest adoption agencies in the state, has more than 3,000 children in foster care and adoption agencies, which represents nearly 20 percent of all such services in the state. They currently receive around $30 million a year from the state.
Proponents of same-sex unions are accusing the Church of trying to get away with discrimination.
“If an organization receives state funding, they must serve all residents of that state equally,” said Anthony Martinez, Executive Director of The Civil Rights Agenda. “I don’t want my tax dollars to fund discrimination in any form, and that is exactly what the Catholic Charities are asking for: the right to discriminate.”
Just last month, the State senate rejected an amendment to the new law which would have exempted religious organizations from being forced to comply when doing so violates their sincerely held religious beliefs.
Catholic Charities is still hoping for a legal avenue that will permit them to be faithful to Church teaching and still allow them to serve the public.
“The amendment bill that we’re looking for, that would allow us to partner with the state, it would really help us preserve those rights,” said Celeste Matheson, Director of Advancement for Catholic Charities, to KWQC.
“If we are forced out it is the children that are going to be affected, it’s the families that they are currently with, it’s going to disrupt their lives,” she said.
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