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[WedgeX]

From the Detroit News. The title proved difficult in being concise.

Lawmakers continued a Michigan battle over religious and civil rights Wednesday with the passage of legislation allowing faith-based agencies to turn away gay and lesbian couples seeking state-supported adoptions.

The Legislature is sending bills to Gov. Rick Snyder that are narrower in scope than the religious freedom restoration act that Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed last March, then revised amid a national furor over letting business owners deny services based on religious reasons.

...

Under the proposals, faith-based adoption agencies could refuse their services in cases that would violate their "sincerely held religious beliefs." The agencies would have to tell couples where else they could find adoption services.

The Republican-controlled Senate passed the bills on party-line votes of 26-12. The GOP-led House agreed to the Senate changes Wednesday afternoon.

...

Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof said the legislation "protects the valuable role" of the state's faith-based agencies in publicly funded adoptions.

"We just codified what has been the law for five decades — that faith-based agencies are allowed to exercise their religious freedom in placing (adoptive children)," he said.

...

But he added that state practices of the last 50 years regarding faith-based adoption agencies "may not be the practice in the future, so we want to make sure it's codified in law.

Shameful. This is to preserve the ability of faith-based organizations to continue to take state funds to run adoption programs while denying same-sex couples the ability to receive adoption services. I worked for an agency that included adoption that was formerly faith-based but thankfully they had dropped their religious affiliation decades ago. Catholic Charities closed up its adoption program in DC and in Illinois when equality laws were finally enacted and I'm sure they would do the same in Michigan if it were to happen.


Edit:

And the bill passed.

 

[witness]

Terrible, all citizens are supposed to be treated equally in this country. That takes precedence over your "religious" convictions. I fucking hate that this shit is happening. It's the last gasp of the intolerant older generations to try keep their old status quo.

 

[Rajack]

Fuck those shitbags. This is awful.

 

[DarthWoo]

Only just slightly under 400,000 children currently in the foster care system in this nation, but hey, let's limit the number of eligible adoptive parents because reasons.

 

[Plinko]

They also just voted to eliminate the Earned Income Tax Credit to pay for roads.

So glad I moved out of that terrible state.

 

[WedgeX]

Only just slightly under 400,000 children currently in the foster care system in this nation, but hey, let's limit the number of eligible adoptive parents because reasons.

Specifically in Michigan there are generally 13 000 children in foster care each year, 3000 up for adoption in a year, and right now there are about 300 or so children with no prospective adoptive parents.

 

[ValkyrUser]

The fuck. Shouldn't the kids being adopted by a loving family be the only thing that matters? Kids getting caught up in the hate is sad.

 

[entremet]

They also just voted to eliminate the Earned Income Tax Credit to pay for roads.

So glad I moved out of that terrible state.

Is this even legal? Or is this State tax? I thought EIC was Federal.

 

[Plinko]

Is this even legal? Or is this State tax? I thought EIC was Federal.

There are state EITCs as well. Michigan just eliminated theirs to pay for roads.

 

[LCGeek]

The fuck. Shouldn't the kids being adopted by a loving family be the only thing that matters? Kids getting caught up in the hate is sad.

I hope you're not naive in your world view to think that some parents don't have an agenda for their kids especially the religious. Sometimes people don't have kids cause of love. For some of these people it's just another pawn or tax credit in gods war vs satan gotta keep adding to the proper ranks.

 

[NeoXChaos]

You people in MI had a chance to thrown Snyder and co out but just like in WI with Walker or Brownback in KS you blew it. You get what you vote for or rather not vote at all.

 

[commedieu]

and they say dinosaurs are extinct.

 

[Matty77]

Sorry, while I support religous freedom even when I disagree with the message or practices the minute the state is involved whether it is funding, certification, etc in the interest of seperation of church and state you should lose religous exemptions.

 

[Tenumi]

You people in MI had a chance to thrown Snyder and co out but just like in WI with Walker or Brownback in KS you blew it. You get what you vote for or rather not vote at all.

Hey now, I voted for the other guys!

It feels like it's getting to the point where I hear some similar news every day in this terrible state...

 

[HylianTom]

You people in MI has a chance to thrown Snyder and co out but just like in WI with Walker or Brownback in KS you blew it. You get what you vote for or rather not vote at all.

I hold a special kind of venom for so-called "moderate" Republicans who vote their party in while knowing that, once in power, their chosen politicians will go after us in manners like this.

"I'm a moderate - I don't agree with my party on these issues. But I really want a tax cut. Or I don't want the black-helicopter gun-grabbers to come to my house. So sorry about your, like, humanity and stuff." *ShruggyFrownyFace*

And you can't claim that you're surprised at any of this, "moderates." Your party goes after us in state after state, consistently. It'd be one thing if this were a one-shot deal, but you can go from state to state and find various creative legislative proposals that all aim to go after certain segments of the population.

 

[Madness]

Problem is a lot of faith based agencies are using federal/state funds to run their stuff, which means that they will now run afoul of equality/anti-discrimination agreements. As a private entity, they can do what they want, but without federal/state funds, many inevitably end up closing which does even more harm in the long run because now you will have fewer agencies filling the void.

These kinds of battles are inevitable going forward. Roe v. Wade happened how long ago and yet it's probably tougher to get an abortion now in some places than 15 years ago. I do know lot of countries like India, Russia are also preventing more and more LGBT parents from adopting children.

 

[Monocle]

Religious freedom is such an insidious euphemism these days.

 

[WedgeX]

You people in MI had a chance to thrown Snyder and co out but just like in WI with Walker or Brownback in KS you blew it. You get what you vote for or rather not vote at all.

This has less to do with Snyder and more to do with the legislature. Actually, near everything to do with the legislature which crafted and passed these bills. Michigan voted for Democrat candidates at 1,536,812 for dems and 1,474,983 for gop which resulted in 63 GOP state house members to 47 Democratic house members.

 

[Matty77]

Religious freedom is such an insidious euphemism these days.

Well the definition has changed from free to practice and hold your beliefs free from discrimination into trying to practice and hold your beliefs in ways that discriminate.

Of course if there was a goalpost moving competition the religous right would be a serious contender for the gold every single time it was held.

 

[ValkyrUser]

I hope you're not naive in your world view to think that some parents don't have an agenda for their kids especially the religious. Sometimes people don't have kids cause of love. For some of these people it's just another pawn or tax credit in gods war vs satan gotta keep adding to the proper ranks.

I was trying say that stopping a same-sex couple from adopting because of personal beliefs is denying the child a potetionally stable home where they're cared for on an individual level. Just seems counter productive for an adoption agency regardless of religious beliefs.

 

[WedgeX]

Faith-based adoption agencies may now discriminate against same-sex couples looking to adopt as the governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, signed the bill today.

Gov. Rick Snyder signed a package of bills Thursday that will allow faith-based adoption groups in Michigan to refuse to serve prospective parents, like same-sex or unmarried couples, if doing so would violate the groups' religious beliefs.

...

In the 2014-15 budget year, $19.9 million in state and federal funds went toward supporting agencies for adoption and foster care services, according to the state Department of Human Services. Nearly $10 million of that total went to faith-based agencies that would be covered under the religious objection bills.

...

The Michigan Catholic Conference lauded the Governor's quick signature, saying: "It is critically important to solidify the State's long-standing partnership with faith-based child placement agencies operating collectively in the best interest of the state's most vulnerable children."

 

[KingGondo]

The Michigan Catholic Conference lauded the Governor's quick signature, saying: "It is critically important to solidify the State's long-standing partnership with faith-based child placement agencies operating collectively in the best interest of the state's most vulnerable children."

Makes my blood boil. They're essentially saying that same-sex parents are inferior.

 

[Patryn]

This has less to do with Snyder and more to do with the legislature. Actually, near everything to do with the legislature which crafted and passed these bills. Michigan voted for Democrat candidates at 1,536,812 for dems and 1,474,983 for gop which resulted in 63 GOP state house members to 47 Democratic house members.

Yeah, Michigan is gerrymandered to hell, which is why you have the strange case of it being a national blue state (2 Democrat Senators and consistent vote for Democrat for president), but an in-state deep red state as Republicans have a chokehold on the state legislature.

 

[Gr1mLock]

Would rather that kids not have good homes just to stick it to 'the gays'. How very Christian.

 

[Patryn]

Gov. Snyder's quote on the signing is hypocrisy at its finest:

"We are focused on ensuring that as many children are adopted to as many loving families as possible regardless of their makeup."

I'd love someone to ask how this quote equates to his signing a bill that is designed to allow places to turn down loving families and makes it harder to adopt for some people.

 

[Tenumi]

*Sigh* I hate this state.

Especially since this directly affects a really good friend of mine.

 

[JCX]

They also just voted to eliminate the Earned Income Tax Credit to pay for roads.

So glad I moved out of that terrible state.

I still can't get over them ending the Michigan Promise Scholarship just as I got to college. All those MEAP tests for basically nothing.

 

[sensui-tomo]

They also just voted to eliminate the Earned Income Tax Credit to pay for roads.

So glad I moved out of that terrible state.

Was this that thing which would have raised the state's tax and fund other things including roads, when all people wanted was just to fund the roads (and nothing else)? or am i getting stuff mixed up

 

[Patryn]

Was this that thing which would have raised the state's tax and fund other things including roads, when all people wanted was just to fund the roads (and nothing else)? or am i getting stuff mixed up

That was a ballot proposal that spectacularly failed (to the point that it sunk Snyder's presidential aspirations).

 

[mnannola]

How the hell can faith based organizations take state money to handle adoptions? Seems like the complete opposite of separation of church and state.

 

[ivysaur12]

And this is why you have to vote in midterms...

 

[sensui-tomo]

That was a ballot proposal that spectacularly failed (to the point that it sunk Snyder's presidential aspirations).

I'd have voted to get our roads fixed, but not to a proposal that was that open.. (because they'd put the money everywhere else and use the same shit to cover potholes in our state) Michigan sucks, just not as much as florida though, except we have crazy gun guys who go to schools and "get pestered" by cops.

 

[Damaniel]

You vote for Republicans, you get this kind of shit. This is why the left (who notoriously can't muster the strength to get to the polls in non-Presidential years) need to get out and vote more often.

 

[PBalfredo]

So how long until we get headlines about state agencies that are "baffled" about the number of children they can't find homes for?

 

[Hobbestetrician]

So glad I moved out of that terrible state.

.

 

[Razmos]

I hate religion so much.

People really should just keep their beliefs to themselves and stop trying to make everyone else conform to their world view.

 

[TheLegendOfMart]

People really should just keep their beliefs to themselves and stop trying to make everyone else conform to their world view.

People could also say that about gays. (p.s. I'm gay before a mod bans me for a month)

 

[Razmos]

People could also say that about gays. (p.s. I'm gay)

They could, but they'd be wrong.

 

[Orayn]

People could also say that about gays. (p.s. I'm gay)

Wanting the same rights as everybody else vs. senseless discrimination against something that doesn't harm anyone

Yeah, seems completely equal in every way.

 

[ivysaur12]

People could also say that about gays. (p.s. I'm gay before a mod bans me for a month)

Well, the difference here is that you have a conflict between social science that shows that loving gay parents are just as good for children as loving straight parents and a belief that gay parents aren't a family. I understand that religious institutions believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. They're entitled to that belief. But what happens when they're not acting in the best interest of the child?

 

[Omegasquash]

What...do they think they're protecting children with this, or do they think they're protecting homophobes with this?

The whole "boo gay parents" schtick is getting tired.

 

[Darknight34]

I hate religion so much.

People really should just keep their beliefs to themselves and stop trying to make everyone else conform to their world view.

So other must stop and conform to you? Huh..

 

[Disheveled_Zen]

Yes deny an innocent child the chance of going to a loving home where they will be loved and cared for, I'm sure that's exactly what Jesus would want.

 

[TheLegendOfMart]

Wanting the same rights as everybody else vs. senseless discrimination against something that doesn't harm anyone

Yeah, seems completely equal in every way.

Where did I say it was equal?

All I said was if you looked at it from the other side all "the gays" could be perceived to be pushing their beliefs on other people before you get all preachy.

 

[Razmos]

So other must stop and conform to you? Huh..

By treating me with respect and like everyone else? yes, it's called common decency.

Because wanting to have the same rights as everyone else is totally the same as wanting to stop certain people from having rights, okay.

 

[PillarEN]

The fuck. Shouldn't the kids being adopted by a loving family be the only thing that matters? Kids getting caught up in the hate is sad.

Yes but, you know, some people are overly concerned about other people's business.

It's a shame to see this happening in the state I consider home.

 

[Siegcram]

Fuck your religion. Get it out of politics.

 

[Shy Fingers]

The real kicker for me from the Detroit Free Press Article above, especially the bolded:

Democrats also tried to get eight amendments passed that would, among other things: require faith-based agencies to provide their policies in writing to potential clients, as well as on their websites and displayed in their facilities, and comply with state and federal civil rights laws; prohibit adoption agencies that receive more than $500,000 in state funding from being able to use the religious objection argument; allow for second parent adoptions for unmarried couples. Every amendment failed.

So not only do they have to be up front about it, but they're still able to do this and be backed by the state. How does that hold up under separation of church and state in the slightest?

 

[Captin Quacker]

Where did I say it was equal?

All I said was if you looked at it from the other side all "the gays" could be perceived to be pushing their beliefs on other people before you get all preachy.

I can not believe there's a defense force for this

 

[Suikoguy]

Where did I say it was equal?

All I said was if you looked at it from the other side all "the gays" could be perceived to be pushing their beliefs on other people before you get all preachy.

I think you need to understand what beliefs are before posting garbage like this.