Breaking: Michigan Governor Quickly Signs Anti-Gay Religious Adoption Bills Into Law

Governor Rick Snyder took barely 18 hours to sign into law bills that allow state-funded adoption agencies to discriminate against gay people for religious reasons.

Rick Snyder wasted no time in signing three controversial and possibly unconstitutional bills into law this morning. The Republican Governor of Michigan last night was presented with the bills, which allow taxpayer funded adoption agencies to discriminate against LGBT people if they cite a sincerely held religious belief, including refusing to let gay people or same-sex couples adopt from their agency.

That means that the 14,000 children in need of adoption in Michigan will have it even harder, and will cost the state even more financially. Currently, those adoption agencies receive about $10 million annually via state and federal funds.

LOOK: Michigan Governor Rick Snyder Tells Lesbian Couple And Their Three Children: You Are Not A Family

“The state has made significant progress in finding more forever homes for Michigan kids in recent years and that wouldn’t be possible without the public-private partnerships that facilitate the adoption process,” Gov. Snyder said in a statement. “We are focused on ensuring that as many children are adopted to as many loving families as possible regardless of their makeup.”  

The governor applauded the legislation which will “prevent faith-based agencies from having policies forced on them that violate their religious beliefs.”

As NCRM reported yesterday upon passage of the bills, Gov. Snyder fought hard against legal attempts to strike down his state’s ban on same-sex marriage.

One of those Michigan court cases, Deboer v. Snyder, was brought in 2012 by two women, both pediatric emergency room nurses, who were able to adopt several special needs children, some of whom were not expected to live. Due to Michigan state law, the couple cannot jointly adopt the children, so one woman is the legal mother to two of the children, and the other is the legal mother to the other two. 

NCRM profiled the women and their children in 2012. They adopted their fourth child in November.

That case is now one of the four that were heard in April by the U.S. Supreme Court.

 

Image by Michigan Municipal League via Flickr and a CC license