Under House Bill 3859, publicly funded foster care and adoption agencies could refuse to place children with non-Christian, unmarried or gay prospective parents because of religious objections.
Opponents say the bill would also allow faith-based adoption agencies to reject applicants based on religious affiliation or marital status.
"It's horrific that the Texas House would allow state-funded or private adoption agencies to use religious exemptions as a weapon to ban qualified LGBTQ families from adopting a child", Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and CEo of GLAAD, said in a statement. "It is shocking that the Texas House would respond to this crisis by prioritizing the personal religious beliefs of providers over the best interests of the children in the state's care".
"My guess is if you have an LGBT agency, they're going to pick an LGBT family, and if you have a Baptist agency, they may be more likely to pick a Baptist family", Frank said.
Supporters of the measure have defended their support for it by citing the decision by Catholic Charities to shut down adoption services in states like MA and IL following the legalization of same-sex marriage, lest the adoption agencies be found guilty of violating state nondiscrimination laws.
Opponents say that this vague language would open the door for widespread discrimination against nearly anyone, including interfaith couples, provided that doing so could be justified as a "sincerely held religious belief".
State Rep. James Frank, the bill's author, said it's created to address the state's foster care crisis by making "reasonable accommodations so everyone can participate in the system".
The bill that was scheduled for debate and approval this past weekend in the state house, however it will be discussed later this week.
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Many congregants at Cathedral of Hope in Dallas will watch what happens with this bill closely. He continued saying, "We also want our foster parents to be a good match for us as well so we set them up to be as successful as possible".
FILE - In this January 10, 2017, file photo, Texas Speaker of the House Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, stands before the opening of the 85th Texas Legislative session in the house chambers at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas.
Dozens of universities and organizations that applied for grants to help young people from poor families prepare for college were turned down by the U.S. Education Department because they didn't double-space the.
At a committee hearing on the bill in March, representatives from several religiously aligned groups testified that without the protections provided by the bill, they will be forced to shut down their foster care or adoption programs.
Republican legislators say that the bill is necessary to protect Christian child welfare organizations.
Meanwhile, bill author Rep. James Frank (R-Wichita Falls) argues that the measure is a "reasonable" solution based on religious freedom.
Frank, an adoptive parent, said he and his wife told an agency they wanted a boy who was older than 8, and an agency was willing to fulfill their request.
The Human Rights Campaign said Wednesday the bill could "lead to concrete harm to children in care". "They're free to do that and should be free to do that".
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