Jessica Bates wanted to give children in Oregon’s foster care system a loving home. The widowed mother of five hoped to adopt siblings.
But the state said no.
Why? Because Bates is a Christian who believes God created human beings male and female.
The Oregon Department of Human Services denied Bates’s adoption application after she said she would love and care for any child placed in her home but would not affirm a child’s claim to be the opposite sex.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) sued Oregon on Bates’s behalf in 2023, arguing that the state violated her First Amendment rights by excluding her from adoption because of her religious beliefs.
Last year, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ordered Oregon officials to reconsider Bates’s application, saying she was likely to succeed in her constitutional challenge.
Now Bates is free to adopt.
The state has approved her application, allowing her to provide a home for children in need without forcing her to abandon her Christian beliefs.
Oregon never should have put Bates in this position.
Children in foster care need loving families. The government should not exclude qualified parents simply because they refuse to surrender their faith.
“I am grateful for ADF picking up my case, advocating for my and every American’s rights, and helping ensure many great homes can remain candidates to help the children in foster care,” Bates said.
Photo credit: Alliance Defending Freedom
