Conscience in care: Why Kansas took a stand to protect foster families’ religious liberty

November is National Adoption Month – a time to celebrate families who open their hearts to children in need and to encourage more to consider adoption through the foster care system.

Last week, President Donald Trump issued a pivotal executive order to streamline foster care regulations, strengthen local support from religious organizations and churches, and protect foster families from being coerced into adopting the state’s views on sexuality and marriage.

The order rightly affirms: “My Administration is dedicated to empowering mothers and fathers to raise their children in safe and loving homes.  When crises prevent such an arrangement, our Nation’s foster care system must be ready to serve children in need.”

Unfortunately, this executive order was all too necessary. States all around the country have tried to force families to adopt statements and actions that would violate their sincerely held religious beliefs. One state even tried to force a family to agree to take a child to a pride parade. Another state refused to allow grandparents to care for their great-grandchild simply because they wouldn’t affirm the government’s beliefs about sexuality and marriage.

This is why Kansas refused to stand by and let foster families quietly leave the system because of government policies that violated their faith. Last session, the Kansas Legislature passed the Adoption Conscience Act (HB 2311). It’s a principled declaration that faith-based families have a rightful place in our foster care system, without being forced to compromise their beliefs.

HB 2311 ensures that no Kansan is denied the opportunity to serve vulnerable children simply because they hold to biblical convictions about marriage, gender or family. It affirms what we know to be true: that love and stability are not found in ideological conformity, but in the sacrificial care of those who open their homes and hearts to children in need.

This legislation was passed because there were real Kansas families that were denied the ability to provide care for children in Kansas simply because they would not conform to Gov. Laura Kelly’s beliefs about sexuality and marriage.

State-level protections like the Kansas Adoption Conscience Act work in tandem with the President’s executive order to ensure that Kansas families cannot be sidelined simply for refusing to affirm the government’s positions on sexuality.

These actions ensure that there are more families available to care for children in need, not fewer. They recognize that diversity of belief is not a threat to child welfare, but a strength.

Kansas has long been a place where faith and family flourish. The Kansas Adoption Conscience Act is a shield for those who serve, a signal to Washington that conscience still matters, and a promise to every child: you are loved, not because we agree on everything, but because you are made in the image of God.