The Alabama House on Thursday approved
a bill that seeks to allow taxpayer-funded adoption agencies to
refuse to place a child with a family based on their religious
beliefs.
The Child Placing Agency Inclusion Act
(House Bill 24), sponsored by Republican Representative Rich Wingo,
sailed through the House with a 60-14 vote. All Democratic House
members voted against the legislation.
Last week, South
Dakota's Republican governor signed a similar bill.
According to AL.com,
openly gay state Representative Patricia Todd called the bill “a
direct attack against my community.”
“What your vote says to me – if you
vote for this bill – is that Patricia Todd is not qualified to be a
fit parent based on the fact that I love a woman, and it's not based
on what is the best placement for the child,” Todd reportedly told
her House colleagues.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the
nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, called the vote
“disappointing.”
“Legislators in the House seem
focused on creating new ways to discriminate against LGBTQ people
instead of securing loving homes for these children,” said HRC's
Eva Kendrick in a statement.
The bill now heads to the Senate.