‘Their faith is not supportive.” That was the official Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) determination about Mike and Kitty Burke’s home-study application to be foster parents. Otherwise qualified to be certified as foster parents, they failed over a series of hypothetical questions about sexual orientation and gender dysphoria. The Burkes said they would love and accept any child. They also said they wouldn’t discard their religious beliefs about human sexuality. As a result, they cannot foster children in their state.
They’ve gone to court over this. And it would seem they have a good case: When the City of Philadelphia cut long-standing ties with Catholic Social Services because of what the Church teaches about marriage, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in the Church’s favor. “Catholics need not apply” isn’t constitutionally kosher. For the sake of some 1,500 children in foster care in Massachusetts, I hope it doesn’t take as long as a Supreme Court case for DCF to be set straight. For as long as child-welfare workers are discriminating against solid candidates for foster parents, it’s children who suffer.
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