The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families amended its foster care regulations on Friday through an emergency process, replacing the mandate to affirm LGBTQIA+ identities with a requirement for parents to support a child's "individual identity and needs." This shift comes after mounting pressure, including a federal warning from the Trump administration and a lawsuit challenging the rule on First Amendment grounds.

The original policy, which drew widespread criticism from religious liberty advocates, required foster parent applicants to pledge support for a child's self-identified gender and sexual orientation, including using preferred pronouns and facilitating gender-affirming care.

"Truth & Liberty applauds the decision by Massachusetts regulators to abandon the new rule that would force radical LGBT insanity on foster parents in violation of the Bill of Rights," said Richard Harris, executive director of Truth & Liberty and host of the Truth & Liberty Show. "We are thankful for the courageous stand taken by the Christian foster parents who refused to comply with the unconstitutional rule and challenged the mandate in court. These cases demonstrate that it is impossible to separate faith in God from our public lives and responsibilities. The role of faith is central to who we are as human beings; the government cannot be permitted to compel us to act contrary to our sincerely held convictions. The Bible teaches clearly that God made us male and female. We must affirm children in the biological reality of their God-given sex, not in the trauma induced delusions embraced by leftist LGBT ideology."

The change was prompted in part by a letter from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the US Department of Health and Human Services. Federal regulators notified Massachusetts' Department of Children and Families that the gender identity mandate violated constitutional protections, triggering an investigation.

A parallel federal lawsuit, filed by the public-interest legal group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) on behalf of several Christian foster families, further highlighted the policy's flaws. Plaintiffs included Greg and Marianelly Schrock, who had their foster license revoked in June after refusing to sign the gender affirmation agreement, citing their belief that "boys are boys and girls are girls."

ADF Senior Counsel Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse praised the amendment as "a step in the right direction," noting it should allow religious families to reapply without fear of exclusion based on their beliefs. However, he stressed the case would continue until Massachusetts demonstrates a commitment to respecting ideological diversity among foster parents.

This reversal marks a significant victory for religious liberty, aligning with broader efforts under the Trump administration to protect faith-based participation in social services. It also underscores ongoing national debates over balancing LGBTQ rights with First Amendment freedoms, particularly in child welfare systems facing chronic shortages of qualified families.

Harris added, "This decision not only restores common sense to Massachusetts' foster care system but also sends a powerful message nationwide: Government overreach into personal beliefs will not stand. By protecting religious families, we ensure more children find loving, stable homes rooted in timeless truths."... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

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