WHEREAS the interpretation by the courts of the laws of many states which require that children be placed for adoption with parents of the same religious faith, wherever practicable, often results in depriving children of one religious faith from being adopted by parents of another faith, although no adoptive parents of the child's faith may be found; and

WHEREAS members of minority religious groups, couples of mixed marriages and many unchurched Americans are prevented from adopting children through legitimate adoption channels without having to profess a religion to which they do not honestly subscribe.

BE IT RESOLVED that the American Ethical Union maintains that the welfare of the human beings involved, adoptive child and adoptive parent, should transcend religious restrictions, that all individuals regardless of standards and requirements, deserve equal opportunity to adopt children, and that in this area, as in any other, there should be no discrimination on the basis of religious beliefs.

Source: Where We Stand

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