{"id":296230,"date":"2023-08-11T06:35:01","date_gmt":"2023-08-11T11:35:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=296230"},"modified":"2023-08-10T14:07:00","modified_gmt":"2023-08-10T19:07:00","slug":"massachusetts-bars-catholic-couple-fostering-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/massachusetts-bars-catholic-couple-fostering-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Massachusetts bars Catholic couple from fostering children due to beliefs about sexuality"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

According to <\/span>Fox News<\/span><\/a>, Mike and Catherine \u201cKitty\u201d Burke, a Catholic couple living in Massachusetts, were banned from participation in that state\u2019s foster care system due to their religious beliefs. They have filed a federal <\/span>lawsuit<\/span><\/a> in response.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMichael and Catherine Burke are a loving couple who want to welcome children into their family,\u201d their lawsuit <\/span>states<\/span><\/a>. \u201cAfter experiencing the heartbreak of infertility, Mike and Kitty decided to become foster parents, with the hope of caring for and eventually adopting children in need of a stable, loving home.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mike Burke is an Iraq war veteran, and Catherine has worked as a paraprofessional for children with special needs, according to a <\/span>press release<\/span><\/a> from Becket Law, a religious liberty firm which is representing the couple.<\/span><\/p>\n

The press release states (emphasis added):<\/span><\/p>\n

During their application process, the Burkes underwent hours of training, extensive interviews, and an examination of their home. Mike and Kitty completed the training successfully and received high marks from the instructors. However, during their home interviews, the Burkes were troubled that many questions centered on their Catholic views about sexual orientation and gender dysphoria<\/strong>. In response, the Burkes emphasized that they would love and accept any child, no matter the child\u2019s future sexual orientation or struggles with gender identity.<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

However, because the Burkes said they would remain faithful to their religious beliefs regarding gender and sexuality, the state rejected their application to become foster parents. Becket Law\u2019s press release <\/span>states<\/span><\/a> that Department of Children and Families officials said that \u201cwhile [the Burkes] had strengths, their answers about sexuality and gender barred them from being licensed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

READ: Teen adopted from foster care says \u2018adoption has been a blessing\u2019<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Documentation from the state concerning the couple\u2019s denial is included in the Burkes\u2019 <\/span>lawsuit<\/span><\/a>. Correspondence from the state confirms that \u201cIssues of concern for which the couple\u2019s license study was denied is based on the couple\u2019s statements\/responses regarding placement of children who identified as LGBTQIA. The [License Review Team\u2019s] clinical decision was that respective family, Kitty and Mike, would not be affirming to a child who identified as LGBTQIA.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“After months of interviews and training, and after years of heartbreak, we were on the verge of finally becoming parents,” the couple <\/span>said<\/span><\/a>. “We were absolutely devastated to learn that Massachusetts would rather children sleep in the hallways of hospitals than let us welcome children in need into our home.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Becket Law\u2019s press release <\/span>states<\/span><\/a> that Massachusetts currently has a foster care crisis. \u201cThe Department of Children and Families (DCF) currently does not have enough foster homes or facilities to meet the needs of the children in its care, leaving over 1,500 children without a family,\u201d it states, adding: \u201cThe crisis has become so extreme that the state has resorted to housing children in hospitals for weeks on end.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lori Windham, vice president and senior counsel at Becket Law, <\/span>said<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0\u201cIt takes the heroic effort of parents like Mike and Kitty to provide vulnerable children with loving homes through foster care. Massachusetts\u2019 actions leave the Burkes, and families of other faiths, out in the cold. How can they explain this to children waiting for a home?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to Fox News, Mike and Catherine \u201cKitty\u201d Burke, a Catholic couple living in Massachusetts, were banned from participation in that state\u2019s foster care system due to their religious beliefs. They have filed a federal lawsuit in response.\u00a0 \u201cMichael and Catherine Burke are a loving couple who want to welcome children into their family,\u201d their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":788,"featured_media":226271,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[4,3473],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nMassachusetts bars Catholic couple from fostering children due to beliefs about sexuality<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\""Massachusetts would rather children sleep in the hallways of hospitals than let us welcome children in need into our home."\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/massachusetts-bars-catholic-couple-fostering-children\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta 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