Remember when Whitney Houston used to belt out “I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.”
Everyone was all about “it takes a village to raise a child.” Because we know children are defenseless, and they are our greatest resource.
Thus, looking out for the children always pays off. But Obama didn’t care about the children. He cared about bureaucracy and doing things his way. Therefore, it’s no surprise that one of Obama’s final acts actually harmed thousands of children waiting for a permanent home.
The Chronicle of Social Change explains Obama’s rule:
The Obama rule, finalized in 2016 after the Obergefell v. Windsor Supreme Court decision made same-sex marriage the law of the land, spelled out an expectation of non-discrimination for grantees of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS):
It is a public policy requirement of HHS that no person otherwise eligible will be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination in the administration of HHS programs and services based on non-merit factors such as age, disability, sex, race, color, national origin, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Recipients must comply with this public policy requirement in the administration of programs supported by HHS awards.
This policy walled off faith-based providers from receiving federal money if they wished to be selective in which prospective foster or adoptive parents, or children, they would serve. Last year, the Trump administration awarded a waiver on this policy to South Carolina, which had pursued an exemption on behalf of one of its private faith-based providers.
Today, HHS announced a proposed rule that removes this standard for all states. It will be subject to a public comment period before potential finalization. It also announced it would not enforce the existing rule while the new proposal was under consideration.
In other words, Christian foster care and adoption placement centers were no longer allowed to seek Christian placements for children under their umbrella of care.
In the Lone Star State
Texas recognized the detriment Obama’s rule creates. Further, the Texas Attorney General found a conflict of interest involving none other than Chuck Schumer.
As the Washington Times explains:
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton urged the administration in January 2018 to repeal the Obama administration’s rule. He said it conflicts with the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, which was introduced by current Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York, and with state law.
“People of faith should not be required to forfeit their sincerely held religious beliefs as a condition of helping Texas’ most vulnerable children,” Mr. Paxton wrote. “The rule substantially burdens religious beliefs of providers whose faith disagrees with same-sex marriage and precludes them from placing children in such arrangements.”
The proposed Trump rule would not reimpose costs associated with penalties for failing to comply with the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act. The administration has already eliminated the penalty associated with failing to comply with Obamacare’s individual mandate.
The Next Right Thing
My grandpa used to tell us that in life, we must always seek to do the next right thing. And that’s what Trump just did. He took a rule that denied children all the help they need and he squashed it.
Obama’s rule harmed foster care services. Period.
As per the Washington Times:
Administration officials say faith-based groups are crucial to finding permanent homes for vulnerable children, and that there is a foster-care crisis in the U.S.
The number of children in foster care has risen nationwide for five years in a row, to about 443,000. Of those, more than 100,000 children are awaiting adoption.
The number of children entering the foster-care system due to parental drug use has more than doubled since 2000, officials say.
Several states have imposed similar rules to the Obama administration’s regulation. The administration says in the five years after Illinois passed a law ending faith-based partnerships in 2011, the state lost 1,547 foster homes.
The Liberal Backlash
While conservatives cheered Trump’s move, liberals decided it is a step towards discrimination.
The American Civil Liberties Union said the action would “open the door to discrimination based on faith, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in countless federally-funded programs.”
“It is despicable that this administration would authorize taxpayer-funded child welfare agencies to discriminate against children and turn away qualified families they desperately need,” said Leslie Cooper, deputy director of the group’s LGBT & HIV Project. “Children and families should not be denied services because of discrimination.”
But no one is shutting down the service-providers who aren’t faith-based. Oddly enough, I’m willing to bet these same complainers would cheer for a Muslim adoption center. Of course, that’s just my own speculation. But over and over I see liberals reject anything attached to Christian values while embracing all things Muslim. Thus, my theory isn’t too far-fetched.
Fundamental Rights
Obviously, the Bill of Rights guarantees our right to worship freely. That means if we choose to gather together in the ministry of fostering connections with displaced children, then glory be to God! There’s nothing wrong with that.
Perhaps I’m a little passionate about this subject. Especially considering I adopted four of my seven children through Child Protective Services. Luckily, a state funded program aided my adoption. However, Obama effectively wiped out several resources we could have used.
Between my life as a mom-blogger and my own adoption journey, my eyes opened to the truth of foster care. The system lacks resources. Think about it, a half-million kids don’t know where they’ll be tomorrow or next week. That’s why children need permanency whenever possible. Bouncing from place to place affects their emotional, spiritual and intellectual development.
How many times do we complain about millennials? It’s the entitled generation, right? Well, what will we say about the hundreds of thousands of kids raised by bureaucracy? What will they turn out to be if we don’t invest in them?
Ask yourself this. What’s worse? Leaving a kid in foster care most of their life, or allowing a church to step in and place that child with a loving family? Especially if that family has a defined set of values.
Thank God we have a President willing to set the rule straight. He’s showing half a million kids that he cares where they end up. And he didn’t do it for the popularity or the praise. Trump’s accomplishment won’t even show up in the mainstream media. But our President did the next right thing. In fact, he continues to make all the right moves, even when Democrats hope to soon burn Trump at the stake.
