Bethany to start placing children with same-sex couples

Bethany Christian Services is one of the biggest Christian adoption agencies in the country. On Monday, it announced it would begin placing children in homes of same-sex couples nationwide, The New York Times reported.

How big of a change is this? Bethany already served same-sex couples in jurisdictions that required it in their contracts, such as the agency’s home state of Michigan. When Catholic Social Services of Philadelphia in 2018 fought for the right to continue placing children according to its Biblical values, Bethany chose not to join the lawsuit. But in most states, Bethany has largely opted to refer individuals in same-sex relationships to other agencies until now.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Jamie Dean’s report about Bethany’s choice to comply with same-sex placement mandates.