The nation’s civil rights organizations, religious groups, and child welfare organizations are going to war over the Republican proposal to allow adoption agencies to discriminate against LGBTQ people.

More than 200 of them joined the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in a letter to members of Congress yesterday opposing legislation that would authorize discrimination in the child welfare system.

“Taxpayer dollars should not be used to discriminate and no family should be told they are not qualified to serve as foster or adoptive parents because they are LGBTQ or the ‘wrong’ religion by a taxpayer-funded provider,” the groups write.

“Moreover, because the amendment conflicts with other federal laws including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in federally funded programs, it could open the door to discrimination against children and prospective families on the basis of race and national origin by taxpayer-funded agencies.”

The Aderholt amendment to the House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill for FY 2019 would allow child welfare agencies receiving taxpayer funds to choose which families and children to serve, privileging the beliefs of providers over the best interests of children who are in state care.

If adopted, the Aderholt amendment would exacerbate an already dire crisis in the nation’s child welfare system.

The United States has nearly 440,000 children in foster care, more than 117,000 of whom are waiting to be adopted.

Each year, less than half of those are adopted into permanent placements, and tens of thousands age out of the foster care system before they can find an adoptive family.

Not only would the Aderholt amendment severely decrease the already limited pool of eligible families, but it also would put the 46 states and the District of Columbia who enforce non-discrimination laws in jeopardy of losing 15 percent of their federal funding for child welfare services – amounting to a loss of more than $1 billion for the system.

Federal judges have already indicated these provisions would likely be found unconstitutional, should they be challenged in court.

“It is despicable that elected officials would place ideology over family,” said Ian Thompson, senior legislative representative at the ACLU. “Every child deserves the opportunity to grow up in a supportive, loving home.”

Thompson added, “The Aderholt amendment would harm some of the most vulnerable children in our country – those who are in state care do to abuse and neglect at home.”

The coalition letter distributed yesterday makes it clear that it’s “unacceptable to place the beliefs of providers over the best interests of children,” Thompson said.

When it comes to tax-funded adoption and foster care services, there should be no #LicenseToDiscrminate.https://t.co/9p9Uf803Nz — ACLU (@ACLU) July 26, 2018

SIGNATORIES INCLUDE:

National Organizations

African American Ministers In Action

American Association of University Women

American Atheists

American Conference of Cantors

American Federation of Teachers

American Humanist Association

Americans United for Separation of Church and State

American Unity Fund

Anti-Defamation League

Atticus Circle

AIDS United

American Civil Liberties Union

American Psychological Association

Athlete Ally

Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty

The Bassuk Center on Homeless and Vulnerable Children & Youth

Bend the Arc Jewish Action

Center for American Progress

Center for Children’s Law and Policy

Center for Children & Youth Justice

Center for Inquiry

Center for Public Interest Law

Center for Social Innovation

CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers

Ceres Policy Research

Children’s Advocacy Institute

Children’s Defense Fund

Children’s Rights

Child Welfare League of America

COLAGE

DignityUSA

Disciples Justice Action Network

Equality Federation

Faith in Public Life

Family Values @ Work

Family Equality Council

FORGE, Inc.

Foster Care to Success

FosterClub

Freedom for All Americans

Global Justice Institute

Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc.

Harm Reduction Coalition

Hispanic Federation

Human Rights Campaign

Human Rights Watch

Keshet

Impact Fund

Interfaith Alliance

Intersections International

Juvenile Law Center

Lambda Legal

Log Cabin Republicans

Men of Reform Judaism

Methodist Federation For Social Action

Metropolitan Community Churches

Movement Advancement Project

NAACP

NARAL Pro-Choice America

National Adoption Center

National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF)

National Association of County and City Health Officials

National Association of Social Workers

National Black Justice Coalition

National Center for Lesbian Rights

National Center for Transgender Equality

National Center on Adoption and Permanency

National Coalition for the Homeless

National Council of Jewish Women

National Crittenton

National Education Association

National Equality Action Team (NEAT)

National Health Law Program

National Juvenile Justice Network

National LGBT Chamber of Commerce

National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund

National Network of Abortion Funds

National Network for Youth

National Organization for Women

National Women’s Law Center

Nebraska Appleseed

New Ways Ministry

North American Council on Adoptable Children

Partnership For America’s Children

People For the American Way

PFLAG National

Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Population Connection Action Fund

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Religious Institute

RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association

SAGE

SchoolHouse Connection

Secular Coalition for America

Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS)

SisterLove, Inc.

SparkAction

The Trevor Project

Transgender Law Center

True Colors Fund

Union for Reform Judaism

United Church of Christ, Justice and Local Church Ministries

Unitarian Universalist Association

URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity

Uri L’Tzedek

Voices for Progress

Witness to Mass Incarceration

Women of Reform Judaism

Youth Law Center

State and Local Organizations

Alabama

AIDS Alabama

AIDS Alabama South, LLC

Equality Alabama

Rainbow Mobile

Children's Rights strongly condemns new #LicenseToDiscrminate amendment adopted by House Republicans today. The amendment guarantees federal funding to child welfare agencies, even if they discriminate against #LGBTQ families. Read more here: https://t.co/tqTsaGz7qu pic.twitter.com/B4Oyi0rJ4s — Children's Rights (@ChildrensRights) July 11, 2018

Arizona

Children’s Action Alliance (Arizona)

California

Children’s Law Center of California

County Welfare Directors Association of California

The Diversity Center

Equality California

Family Builders by Adoption

Los Angeles LGBT Center

LYRIC

North County LGBTQ Resource Center

Resource Center for Nonviolence

Sacramento LGBT Community Center

San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center

The Spahr Center

The Source LGBT+ Center

Connecticut

Connecticut Alliance of Foster and Adoptive Families

Connecticut Voices for Children

Hispanic Federation – Connecticut

True Colors, Inc. Sexual Minority Youth and Family Services of Connecticut

Colorado

GLBT Community Center of Colorado

Inside Out Youth Services

One Colorado

Florida

Equality Florida

Hispanic Federation – Florida

Pridelines

Safe Schools South Florida

Georgia

Georgia Equality

Georgia Safe Schools Coalition

TRANScending Barriers

Trans(forming)

Illinois

Center on Halsted

Equality Illinois

Kansas

Children’s Alliance of Kansas

Kansas Appleseed

Kentucky

Louisville Youth Group Inc.

Louisiana

Louisiana Trans Advocates

Maine

EqualityMaine

Maine Children’s Alliance

Maine Women’s Lobby

Maryland

FreeState Justice

GLCCB – Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in Baltimore, MD

Public Justice Center

Massachusetts

Child and Family Services, New Bedford

Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action

MassEquality

Michigan

Grand Rapids Pride Center

OutCenter of Southwest Michigan

Minnesota

Gender Justice

Missouri

OutFront Kalamazoo

PROMO

Montana

Kynexions

Youth Dynamics

Nebraska

Voices for Children in Nebraska

Nevada

Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada

Purple W.I.N.G.S. Organization

Federal judge rules adoption agency can’t ban gays & lesbians – More: https://t.co/pEai6sTsNm judge rules adoption agency can’t ban gays & lesbians https://t.co/3VCMrxz1H7 — LGBTQ Nation (@lgbtqnation) July 16, 2018

New Jersey

New Jersey Parents Caucus, Inc

The Pride Center of New Jersey, Inc.

New Mexico

Equality New Mexico

New York

Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York

The Children’s Agenda

Dignity Buffalo

Fairness Alliance and Information Resources of New York, Inc.

Hamptons LGBT Center

LGBT Network (Long Island/Queens)

Long Island LGBT Community Center

Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth

Pride Center of the Capital Region

Queens LGBT Community Center

Services and Advocacy for LGBT Elders – Long Island (SAGE-LI)

North Carolina

Equality North Carolina

Youth OUTright, WNC

Ohio

Equality Ohio

LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland

Pennsylvania

Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center

Equality Pennsylvania

Women’s Law Project

Rhode Island

Adoption Rhode Island

South Carolina

SC Equality

South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center

South Dakota

Equality South Dakota

Tennessee

CCYS

OUTMemphis

Tennessee Equality Project

Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth

This vote put an amendment on a funding bill that would allow adoption agencies receiving federal support to refuse LGBT parents. The bill itself has not been voted on or passed. Tell your electeds no bill so discriminatory should pass.https://t.co/iVfSi8Hess via @lgbtqnation — Meredith McClaren (@IniquitousFish) July 12, 2018

Texas

DFW Foster Parent Association

Equality Texas

Resource Center

Texas Freedom Network

Washington

Gay City: Seattle’s LGBTQ Center

Legal Voice

Wisconsin

Our Lives Magazine

Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce

District of Columbia

Whitman-Walker Health