Texas is allowing the denial of social services to individuals based on the “religious beliefs” of the provider. Your job is to help people! Your job is paid by taxpayer money! Your job and your personal beliefs do not equal, therefore find a new line of work! – PB/TK
TX governor signs bill allowing providers to deny LGBTQ youth child welfare services – By Annabel Thompson /June 16 2017
On Thursday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) signed a bill that will allow child welfare service providers to decline to provide certain kinds of care based on “the provider’s sincerely held religious beliefs.” The bill, House Bill 3859, will permit discrimination against LGBTQ couples wishing to adopt children, in addition to allowing LGBTQ children to be placed under the agencies’ care in “religious education.” The bill goes into effect in September.
As ThinkProgress noted when the bill passed the Texas House in May, the bill affects not only child placement services (think adoption agencies), but group homes, counseling services, care for abused children, and other resources for children with complicated family situations. The bill will have a broad reach, affecting organizations that provide a wide variety care options for a large number of children.
When the bill goes into effect, those organizations can legally refuse to provide care for children on the basis of their sexuality or gender identity, or on the basis of the sexuality or gender identity of someone in their family, as long as the provider can cite “religious beliefs.” They will be able to do the same for same-gender couples wishing to adopt children, and ultimately for anyone whose situation can somehow be considered in violation of their religious beliefs.
Continue to thinkprogress.org article: https://thinkprogress.org/texas-governor-signs-religious-freedom-lgbtq-youth-discrimination-bill-749cf6b94ec0
