The Catholic Charities of Illinois are trying to have it both ways:
Supporters of the Catholic Charities - the National Organization for Marriage included - will have folks fooled that this is an issue of personal religious beliefs. They seem to always conveniently forget the monetary aspect.
They want to have things both ways - i.e. thinking the Catholic Charities should have a right to state monies even as it discriminates against taxpayers who supplies that money.
To me, the choice is simple - if you don't want to abide by the rules which come with the money, then don't take the money.
Illinois State Senator Kyle McCarter (R-Lebanon) on Wednesday filed legislation that would amend the state's civil union law to allow Catholic Charities to continue to license foster and adoptive parents without serving same-sex couples.
McCarter's proposal, SB2495, would amend the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act, signed into law in January, to allow faith-based agencies like Catholic Charities to decline to provide foster care and adoption services to applicants who "would constitute a violation of the organization's sincerely held religious beliefs" and refer them to other agencies.
The new legislation is the latest development in the ongoing saga between Catholic Charities agencies and the state Department of Children and Family Services who, earlier this year, canceled $30.6 million worth of contracts with Charities because they claimed the agencies were not providing services for the state in a way consistent with its non-discrimination law.
Supporters of the Catholic Charities - the National Organization for Marriage included - will have folks fooled that this is an issue of personal religious beliefs. They seem to always conveniently forget the monetary aspect.
They want to have things both ways - i.e. thinking the Catholic Charities should have a right to state monies even as it discriminates against taxpayers who supplies that money.
To me, the choice is simple - if you don't want to abide by the rules which come with the money, then don't take the money.
3 comments:
Yes! They want YOUR tax dollars without the pesky obligation to civil law that implies. Occupy the Catholic Church, anyone?
Isn't this a moot point? The archdiocese of Joliet just decided to convert it's adoption services into a non-church entity so that it could comply with the law without violating it's beliefs.
The real issue here is churches reaching out into civil activities and then wanting religious exemptions for secular services.
What I don't understand is why these state contractors insist that we call what they do "charity." Charity requires that one use one's own resources to help people. They're just spending government money to help people.
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