Out of bounds

State officials in Albany, N.Y., delivered an ultimatum to a private, Christian nonprofit adoption agency this fall: Stop placing children according to your religious beliefs or stop placing children at all.

New Hope Family Services operates an adoption and temporary foster-placement agency alongside its pregnancy resource center. The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) gave it a positive review in October, but then it reviewed the agency’s policy and procedures manual and found it prioritized placements into homes with a married mother and father. It sent a letter to New Hope demanding that it revise its policy or submit a close-out plan for its adoption program.

New Hope sued and has a hearing scheduled for Jan. 16. Attorney Jeana Hallock with Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents the agency, told me what makes the government’s actions “more egregious” in this case is that New Hope has never used government money for its program.“Not only can you not participate in a government contract or receive funding,” Hallock said, “Now they are saying you can’t even do that work at all. ‘We don’t want your help.’”

ADF said in a complaint delivered earlier this month that OCFS is overstepping the requirements of the law. The New York legislature has only allowed unmarried individuals and same-sex couples to adopt since 2010. When the law was passed, then-Gov. David Paterson noted that “the statute is permissive,” allowing for such adoptions, but not compelling agencies to change their policies. But that’s exactly what OCFS is doing now.

New York has 130 child-placing agencies, including one state-run agency in every county, Hallock said, noting that any qualified person who wants to adopt has many resources to do so, and New Hope refers individuals it doesn’t feel it can work with to other agencies.

“That’s really one of the greatest tragedies about this case is that more adoption nonprofits mean more children finding loving homes,” Hallock said. “It really will be the children in New York that will suffer.”

In the last few years, faith-based adoption agencies in states including Illinois, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania have closed when governments ordered them to place children with families who do not share the agency’s religious convictions. The closures mean ultimately fewer children will find homes.

“The U.S. foster system is strongest when it welcomes a wide diversity of partners—including organizations inspired by their faith to serve vulnerable children and families,” Jedd Medefind, president of Christian Alliance for Orphans, told me, adding that Christian families make up a large portion of foster placements. “Distinctive foster agencies are often uniquely able to recruit quality foster families from distinct communities, including faith communities.”

New Hope is already serving fewer children. They are still operating, but Hallock told me that because they are in legal limbo, they have stopped taking on new adoptive families. And they can’t commit to working with new birth parents because they are not sure they will be able to see them through the process. Three current placements are underway, but not finalized, and some families have asked for their money to be refunded since New Hope has had to delay their home studies and placements.

Freedom at the fair

Father-daughter team David Grisham and Tina Watson may be passing out gospel tracts and talking to people as usual at the local park this coming summer after winning a settlement with the city of Anchorage, Alaska.

In 2017, Grisham, an Anchorage resident, and Watson, a Dallas resident, were handing out tracts and talking to people at Forest Fair, a summer arts and entertainment event in the Girdwood area of Anchorage, when police threatened them with arrest if they did not leave. The Tennessee-based Center for Religious Expression helped the duo file suit against the city, which agreed to allow them to proselytize in the park as long as the park was free and open to the public, reported KTUU-TV in Anchorage.

City attorney Pamela Weiss called the legal win “narrow,” saying that while Grisham and Watson won the right to use the park, the Forest Fair was not required to welcome them at the event. It remains to be seen how fair organizers will handle Grisham and Watson this coming year.

Meanwhile, Grisham vowed, “We’re going to do it every year.” —Samantha Gobba

Unfriendly force

Two Port Allen, La., police officers have sued Police Chief Esdron Brown, saying he forced his religious beliefs on his officers. Robert Cannon filed suit in federal court this month, saying Brown created workplace hostility with his promotion of religion. Cannon cited one instance of Brown telling him, “You’re not walking in God’s perfect purpose like I am,” when Cannon’s child was ill. He also said Brown justified giving less-experienced officers promotions because he said God told him to. Patrick Marshall also filed suit in June, saying Brown tried to force him to attend religious counseling meetings. Both men resigned from the city's police force. —S.G.