Catholic Charities Allowed to Use State Tax Money - For Foster Care, III

This is part (3) of the many debates over the new law that permits Civil Unions in the State of Illinois. The Bill was introduced by Rep. Harris who is an admitted Gay. The number of civil unions to date is only 1600 for the whole state of Illinois. This is a small number who applied for licenses. The reason is unknown, and it may have been because they didn't want their private life made public.

In Chicago last week the Catholic Charities won an emergency court order, that allowed them to continue to use tax dollars to run their Foster Care Agencies. The agencies filed to uphold the law allowing them to continue to operate in the cities of:

Joliet, Peoria, Belleville and Springfield won a temporary restraining order from Judge John Schmidt. The counties that are affected are: 89 counties, and 1,997 children. Judge Schmidt said that at stake is the removal of children already placed in homes, and it would be a major disruption. He will review the matter and make a decision at a later date.

The Attorney General Lisa Madigan's stand was that the Charities must now place children with couples in civil unions, both same sex couples and unmarried heterosexual couples.

The Catholic Charities are filing because of the church's moral teaching, and its religious freedom.

Rep. Harris the chief sponsor of the bill said that they can't discriminate, they are using tax payers dollars. He cited that a person because of their race, veteran status, and sexual orientation can't be discriminated against. This law was enacted by the State of Illinois and signed by Governor Quinn. It is not federal law.

On the other hand the Catholic Charities are stating that the state and federal government guarantees their right of religious freedom.

The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) should have researched the law before it became effective on June 1, 2011. State law does not take precedence over the constitution or federal law. It appears that the matter is headed for the Supreme Court, over several issues.

Since the heated debate, the other agencies have been advertising their children and that they have a right for freedom, and to be accepted by the foster parents. And that they have a right to have a good foster parent. I believe that this is headed for more debate among the religious persons in the State of Illinois.

Fox News of Chicago did a story on the current events of the Civil Unions and the controversies surround the recent enacted law. The state can't enact a law that is in conflict with the constitution, and freedom of religion, is guaranteed under the constitution. The act can be repealed the same as the state of California. A lot of money is being wasted in the fight over DCFS's decision to place foster children, in homes.