On June 1, 2011 the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act will take effect. This new law may allow unmarried cohabitating couples, whether same‐sex or opposite sex, to apply for adoptions and licenses to become foster parents.... [T]he Catholic Church does not condone same‐sex unions or unmarried cohabitation between individuals of the opposite sex.(See prior related posting.)
Friday, May 27, 2011
Rockford, Illinois Catholic Diocese Will End Adoption and Foster Care Services Over Civil Union Law
The Catholic Diocese of Rockford, Illinois announced yesterday that its Catholic Charities office will stop offering state-funded foster care and state-funded adoption services. At a press conference (full text), diocese officials said that the move comes in reaction to the failure of the state legislature to enact an explicit exemption from the state's new civil unions law for religious entities. They explained:
