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Chris Harris, left, and Dan Wimsatt of Oshtemo Township with their adopted children Bobby and Austin

(Courtesy Photo)

Update: Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signs religious objection adoption bills

LANSING, MI -- When Dan Wimsatt and Chris Harris first took in the boys they would later adopt, they had to teach them basic skills their biological family had not: How to brush their teeth. How to eat with utensils.

Bobby, who is now 12, still has struggles, according to Wimsatt, "but if you saw him now, never in a million years would you think this kid had the issues he did ... He just got an A in math. We never thought we'd see that."

Bobby and his brother Austin, now 7, were considered "feral children" when they were removed from their biological family for neglect. Wimsatt and Harris, a Kalamazoo-area couple married a decade ago in Canada, became their foster parents about five years ago.

They eventually adopted the boys through Families & Children Services, one of several non-profits that contracts with the Michigan Department of Human Services to help find homes for the 13,000 or so kids currently in the state's foster care system.

It's likely the only agency in Kalamazoo County that would have adopted to the couple, and if they lived in another part of the state, they may not have had any local option -- because they are gay.

Michigan's Republican-led Legislature on Wednesday approved bills that would enshrine the right of faith-based adoption agencies that contract with the state to deny service to prospective parents on religious grounds, requiring them to refer those people to other agencies instead.

Supporters say the legislation, now headed to the desk of the Gov. Rick Snyder, would codify existing DHS policy while protecting faith-based agencies from any "adverse actions" against them in the future, such as the loss of state funding or contracts.

Catholic agencies in some other states, including Illinois, have reportedly closed their doors rather than comply with new regulations there requiring them to work with same-sex couples.

"Michigan thrives on diversity - these bills will ensure faith-based agencies are able to operate according to their conscience in order to continue serving others in our state," Tom Hickson of the Michigan Catholic Conference said in a statement after Wednesday's Senate vote.

But critics say the legislation amounts to state-sanctioned discrimination against capable and willing parents who happen to be gay, and they argue the policy puts the beliefs of adults ahead of the best interest of children who need homes.

"It's arbitrary discrimination. There's nothing that shows we are any less of a parent, in fact the opposite is true," said Wimsatt, who traveled to Lansing to testify against the bills in April. "If there are so many families out there waiting to take in these kids, why do we have so many waiting to be adopted? Kids that have special needs?"

CALLS FOR A VETO

The fate of the religious objection adoption package now lies in the hands of Snyder, the state's Republican governor, who has said little about the bills after expressing concern early on that they could lead to legal challenges.

"Once the bills are formally presented, Gov. Snyder will be closely reviewing them considering what will best take care of the most Michigan children and matching them with forever families," a spokesperson said Wednesday.

But critics of the legislation, comparing the proposal an Indiana religious freedom law that faced widespread backlash in Indiana earlier this year before it was modified, are urging Snyder to pull out his veto pen.

"Governor Snyder has the opportunity not to repeat the mistakes of Indiana Governor Pence," Marty Rouse, national field director for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBT advocacy group, said in a statement.

"Fair-minded Michiganders, corporations, business leaders, and major child advocacy organizations are united in saying this kind of extreme legislation is flat out wrong and sends the wrong message about the future of Michigan. Governor Snyder absolutely must veto this virulently anti-LGBT legislation."

Others, including U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee and a group of Michigan rabbis, have also called on Snyder to veto the bills.

AN EXCEPTION TO A SINCERELY HELD RELIGIOUS BELIEF?

There are 62 adoption agencies operating in the state, and only 17 have a religious affiliation, according to the Michigan Catholic Conference. But several of those agencies operate in multiple locations.

The religious objection bills would require an agency that rejects a parent on religious grounds to provide them with a list of other agencies and a link to the state's adoption website.

The agencies would not be required to pro-actively post or distribute any information explaining their policies for working with LGBT people, however, meaning religious affiliations in their name may be the only initial indicator for prospective parents.

Bethany Christian Services, the state's largest foster care and adoption provider, supports the bills but declined an MLive interview request to discuss its policy regarding LGBT parents.

The Legislation "doesn't restrict anyone from participating in foster care or adoption, but it does preserve for faith-based agencies the freedom to be faithful to our convictions," Bethany President and CEO Bill Blacquiere said in a statement.

Wimsatt said Bethany was willing to work with him and his husband when they re-opened their foster care license to take in another child they knew before he was placed in a refugee program and assigned to the agency.

"Bethany worked with us. And I've got to be honest with you, Bethany is hands down the best that we've worked with," Wimsatt said.

He and his husband were upfront about their sexual orientation and relationship, according to Wimsatt, who said caseworkers and supervisors were "absolutely fantastic." It's the overarching organization, he suggested, that opposes working with LGBT people.

"It was definitely an exception, there's no question about that," said Wimsatt. "Bethany has no intention of changing their policy and allowing gay people to foster and adopt."

Wimsatt, who attends Portage United Church of Christ with his family, has his own sincerely held religious beliefs but argued that religious freedom should not extend to agencies that accept public funding.

"If they want to discriminate against gay folks, they have every right to do so as long as they're not accepting state funds," he said. "But when our tax dollars are going to them -- that's my money, and you're taking it and giving it to an organization that says I'm not as good as (a straight parent). That's wrong."

Update: Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signs religious objection adoption bills

Jonathan Oosting is a Capitol reporter for MLive Media Group. Email him, find him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.