Catholic ban on adoption by same-sex couples is ruled illegal



Catholic adoption societies which refuse to offer children to gay couples face closure following a tribunal yesterday.

Judges ruled in a test case that the charities, which find homes for hundreds of children each year, will be breaking the law if they refuse to accept same-sex couples as adoptive parents.

The ruling means some Catholic agencies face a choice between abandoning their adoption services or their religious principles.

The ruling means some Catholic agencies face a choice between abandoning their adoption services or their religious principles (picture posed by models)

One diocese has already said it is likely to close its adoption charities.

Some of the long-standing charities have not opposed adoption by same-sex couples since Labour's 2007 Sexual Orientation Regulations stated that no organisation or company may discriminate against gays.

But yesterday's appeal ruling by the Charity Tribunal confirmed that those which have stuck to Roman Catholic teaching must now do the same or give up trying to get children adopted.

In its appeal, the Catholic Care charity, run by the diocese of Leeds, said that the right to discriminate against homosexual couples was 'a principle of a Catholic organisation'.

But following the ruling a spokesman for the diocese said: 'As the charities cannot provide unrestricted services without being in breach of their obligations to act in accordance with the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church, it seems likely that the charities will need to close their adoption services and a flagship service of the charities will be lost.

'We are concerned about the possible impact this will have on potential adoptive parents and children.'

Tribunal president Alison McKenna ruled that the Catholic Care charity was 'a well-respected voluntary adoption agency which has made a significant contribution to the provision of adoption services in this country and facilitated many successful adoption placements'.

But she and two colleagues said the charity's activities would be unlawful if it went on refusing to accept gay adoptive parents.

Other Catholic adoption agencies declined to comment.