WASHINGTON, February 27, 2012 — The state of Virginia is poised to make it legal for private adoption agencies to reject parents based on their sexual orientation.
The Republican-led Virginia General Assembly voted in favor of what it terms a “conscience clause” which would allow state-funded private adoption agencies to choose parents it finds acceptable for adoption.
This is an extremely unusual move for a state legislature. Just one other state—North Dakota—has put measures in place enabling state-funded agencies to reject potential-parents based on agency beliefs.