November is National Adoption Month—a time to recognize the importance of family and lift up the voices of youth in foster care.
This National Adoption Month, we’re joining the Every Child Deserves a Family campaign to advocate for an end to discrimination in child welfare. Too often, youth in care are denied loving, identity-affirming homes because federally-funded child welfare agencies are putting the agency’s preference based on their view’s above a young person’s right to family. With 440,000 children in foster care, we know that we can’t afford to turn away prospective parents because of who they are, who they love, or what they believe.
On Tuesday, November 5, 2019—to mark National Adoption Month—we’re asking you to join us and child welfare advocates across the country in urging Congress to pass the Every Child Deserves a Family Act. The Act bars discrimination against youth and parents based on religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status. Then, amplify your voice by sharing on social media with the hashtag #EveryChildDeservesaFamily!
The action is well timed. HHS is expected to publish in the Federal Register (likely this week) a proposed rule that would allow discrimination in child welfare recruitment and placement based on an Administration effort to ban “religious discrimination.” Expect to see more about this from CWLA.
