The Uncertain Future of Faith-based Child Care

Earlier this week, the same-sex adoption bill (SB320/HB7013) passed the Senate. The bill aligns Florida law with previous rulings from the courts that a ban on same-sex adoptions was unconstitutional. Immediately, the House began working on a bill that would protect faith-based organizations, such as Florida Baptist Children's Homes. HB7111 is a bill that seeks a "conscience clause" to the same-sex adoption legislation that would allow faith-based organizations to continue to qualify prospective parents for adoption in accordance with its beliefs and values.


The bill has passed the House but has been met with substantial opposition in the Senate. The Senate legal position is that the bill is "duplicative and unnecessary." They believe that the Florida Religious Freedom Restoration Act will adequately protect the desire for faith-based organizations to operate within the parameters of their religious beliefs and convictions. The Senate legal opinion fail sto take into account two real-world factors:  

1. Activist courts are engaging in ideologically-driven and result-oriented decisions in cases involving gay rights.
2. A number of faith-based organizations have been forced to close in states that have similar religious freedom legislation, but do not have conscience clauses (Catholic Charities in Boston and Washington DC). With the legalization of same-sex marriage, adoption and foster care agencies that partner financially with the state are being forced to qualify same-sex marriage families as potential adoptive families.

Florida Baptist Children's Homes helped 106,000 children last year. We want to help another 106,000 this year. FBCH will continue to operate according to its values and convictions, but such operation will be tested in the courts. There are groups that would rather see less children helped than to see faith-based organizations be given the freedom to operate within the context of their beliefs.

Same sex adoption is legal in Florida and there are many agencies that will gladly qualify same-sex couples for adoption. There is enough need with regard to our children so that all of these agencies can work for the benefit of children under the terms of their individual worldviews.

The Senate Rules Committee will be reviewing the bill this Monday, April 20. Our Senator is Charlie Dean. He is not on the rules committee, but he may know those who are and have some influence with them. His email is Dean.Charles@FLSenate.gov. Here is a link to the Rules Committee should you feel compelled to contact them and ask them to support the conscience clause language found in HB7111: Support HB7111