state house mug by julie.JPG

(Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

A bill allowing adoption agencies in Alabama to follow faith-based policies, such as not placing children with gay couples, is on its way to Gov. Kay Ivey.

The House of Representatives gave final approval to the bill by a vote of 87-0, with six abstentions, concurring with a change the Senate made when it approved the bill last week.

The bill by Rep. Rich Wingo, R-Tuscaloosa, says the state could not refuse to license adoption agencies because of policies that adhere to their faith.

"Around the country there are other states that have required faith-based agencies to place children in homes, foster or adoption, to place children in homes that go against their religious beliefs," Wingo said.

"These faith-based agencies have been forced to close their doors because they refuse to place children in homes that go against their faith."

Wingo said that has not happened in Alabama but wanted the law in place to prevent it. Wingo said about 30 percent of the placement agencies in the state are faith-based.

The law would not protect the licensing of any agencies that receive state or federal funding.

Rep. Patricia Todd, D-Birmingham, said that was a good provision in the bill, but her main point was that the bill allows discrimination against gay couples.

"This bill obviously came about because same-sex marriage was approved," said Todd, who is gay and speaks out consistently on issues affecting the rights of gays. "It's based in a stereotype. And it's wrong. And we shouldn't discriminate and I will always fight that.

"When a faith-based organization decides to step into either adoption or child care, they should have to follow the same rules and regulations as every other agency."

Wingo countered that the bill was not to condone discrimination, but to prevent it.

"The bill simply says do not discriminate against us, the faith-based agencies. It's not discriminating against anybody else," Wingo said.

Corrected at 8:33 p.m. to correct vote total.