SPRINGFIELD (IL)
WICS/WRSP
June 11, 2020
Catholic Charities of Springfield has sent an amicus brief for a Supreme Court case.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois, the case, Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, focuses on whether a religious organization can demand government contracts to provide child welfare services while they do not comply with LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination requirements.
The amicus brief discusses how the state of Illinois terminated Catholic Charities’ foster care services after the organization declined to assess and qualify same-sex couples as foster parents, although they agreed to refer the same-sex couples to DCFS offices who can provide these services or refer them to other private agencies that could.
According to the amicus brief, Catholic Charities of Springfield acted as a foster care agency from 1965 to 2011. In 2011, while the organization was serving about 325 foster children, the state terminated its services following the enactment of the Illinois Religious Freedom and Civil Union Act.
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