Franklin Graham is calling out the state of Oregon for putting woke politics above children in need. According to Breitbart, Graham is slamming a law that disqualifies Christians from adopting children because of their beliefs that reject “woke gender theory.” Pointing out that there are at least 8,000 children in foster care and about 200 waiting to be adopted, Graham called the state’s law “ludicrous” as these children are being passed up for adoption because of the Christian beliefs of prospective parents.
Graham wrote on Twitter, “For the state to put their political agenda and woke ideology above the needs of these children is appalling.”
The particular case Graham is referencing is that of Jessica Bates, a Christian and single mother of five, who was denied a certification to adopt because she believes that “God gives us our gender/sex and it’s not something we get to choose.” Bates expressed that encouraging children to reject their biological gender conflicts with her faith, and this was grounds to ensure she never adopts a child in the state of Oregon.
According to Breitbart, “in its enumeration of ‘Personal Qualifications of Applicants and Certified Resource Families,’ the Oregon Department of Human Services has ruled that prospective adopting parents must ‘respect, accept and support the race, spiritual beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, disabilities, national origin, cultural identities, immigration status and socioeconomic status of a child or young adult in the care or custody of the Department.'”
Bates was told she would need to use the child’s preferred pronoun, let them dress how they want, and take them to a pride parade if they ask. Bates said that she has “no problem loving them and accepting them as they are,” but she would “not encourage them in this behavior.”
Breitbart reports that the law firm Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Bates against the state of Oregon for “imposing an ‘ideological litmus test’ on those seeking to adopt children from foster care.”
Graham suggests that putting woke ideology politics above the needs of children brings the movement of the radical left to a new level. Willing to risk the future of children only to further their own political agenda by denying adoption to someone due to religious beliefs puts the state of Oregon in the wrong.