Oregon: Christian woman sues state after being told she cannot adopt children unless she “supports” their future hypothetical transgenderism

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A Christian woman has filed suit against the state of Oregon for denying her application to adopt siblings from foster care because she would not agree to “respect, accept, and support … the sexual orientation, gender identity, [and] gender expression” of any child placed with her. The suit was filed earlier this month on behalf of Jessica Bates, a widowed mother of five, by the conservative legal firm Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).

Bates applied to adopt two siblings in foster care through the Oregon Department of Human Service last year, ADF said in a press release. While emphasizing that she would love any child placed with her as they were, she could not affirm any expression of transgenderism on account of her Christian faith.

As she was taken through the application process, Bates was instructed on the state’s requirement that adoptive parents affirm and facilitate any hypothetical transgenderism their adopted child might express, ADF said. “Respecting [a child’s] gender identity and expression is very important,” explains a state handout given to Bates during the application process. Prospective parents must “always ask someone for their pronouns” because there are an infinite number of pronouns as new ones emerge in our language,” the hand out says. Moreover, parents should avoid “forcing youth to attend activities (including religious activities … ) that are … unsupportive of people with diverse SOGIE [sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression],” but instead “[p]rovide access to a variety of books, movies, and materials, including those that positively represent same-gender relationships,” the handout says.

In particular, Bates was told that she would need to help her child to facilitate sex-change treatments including puberty blockers and hormone injections, ADF said.

On September 22 last year, Bates’ application to adopt the siblings was rejected on the grounds of her refusal to affirm a child’s hypothetical decision to identify as a member of the opposite sex. ADF has filed the lawsuit, Bates v. Pakseresht on her behalf in the US District Court for the District of Oregon, Pendleton Division on April 3.

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