On July 25, 1978, Louise Brown of the U.K. became the first person born through in vitro fertilization (IVF). Twenty-five years later, my spouse Helen and I welcomed our own son, born via IVF. Now, our son is among eight million babies born through IVF, so let’s all wish Louise Brown a very happy birthday as she turns 40.Â
This one’s timely, folks: If you have a senator who is a Democrat, or if they are Republican Senators Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), or Rob Portman (Ohio), use the handy script here to call them today and ask them to sign on to a letter opposing the bill that would allow discrimination in adoption and foster care against LGBTQ prospective parents, LGBTQ youth in care, single or divorced parents, interfaith couples, or people of different religions.
Just two days after a U.S. House committee approved an amendment that would allow publicly funded foster care and adoption agencies to discriminate against LGBTQ parents and others based on the agencies’ religious or moral beliefs, a federal court issued a decision saying that Philadelphia can require foster care agencies with city contracts to follow its LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination policies.
The U.S. House Appropriations Committee has approved an anti-LGBTQ amendment to an existing funding bill—an amendment that would allow child service agencies receiving federal funds to discriminate against otherwise qualified prospective parents based on the agency’s religious or moral beliefs. Ten states already allow such discrimination; this would enshrine it in federal law.
Parenting magazine Romper has just launched a special digital issue titled “Trying,” which follows five women trying to conceive. One of them is a queer woman who has been trying to get pregnant along with her wife.
It’s Pride Month, and there’s always a lot happening, so let’s round things up! Read on for news and resources you may have missed.
(A guest post from the Every Child Deserves a Family Campaign.) Do you support LGBTQ foster youth and LGBTQ foster and adoptive families? If so, we encourage you to express your views to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services before next Wednesday’s deadline on a regulation proposing changes to how adoption and foster care data is collected.
Connecticut has launched a campaign to recruit more LGBTQ parents to become foster or adoptive parents, even as Kansas becomes the ninth state to allow child welfare agencies to discriminate against LGBTQ prospective parents or youth, among others, on the basis of the agencies’ religious beliefs.
A few victories to make your week!
And could a queer mom end up as prime minister of the U.K?
Will Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado become the next states to allow adoption and foster care agencies to discriminate against LGBTQ prospective parents, youth, and others who don’t align with their religious beliefs?
