Georgia ‘Keep Faith in Adoption and Foster Care Act’ (SB 375)

SB 375 would allow a child-placing agency to decline to accept a referral from the state and decline to perform services not referred under a contract with the state based on the child-placing agency’s sincerely held religious beliefs.

If a child-placing agency declines to accept a referral, the state would be required to immediately refer those services to another child-placing agency.

The bill would prohibit the state from taking any adverse action against a child-placing agency or an organization that seeks to become a child-placing agency on the basis, wholly or partly, that such child-placing agency or organization has declined to accept a referral for adoption or foster care services that do not comply with such child-placing agency’s or organization’s sincerely held religious beliefs.

The bill would allow a child-placing agency to decline to perform any service, including services not referred by the state, that conflicts with the child-placing agency’s sincerely held religious beliefs, and the state would be prohibited from taking any adverse action against such child-placing agency for declining to perform such service.

---

If passed, the bill would allow child adoption and foster placement agencies the right to discriminate in, or refuse, the services they offer (such as child placement) to LGBTQ families and children.

---

STATUS

Passed the senate on February 23, 2018, by a vote of 34-19.

---

People