The governor of Tennessee signed a controversial law Friday that allows adoption agencies within the state to refuse to place children in homes that “violate the agency’s written religious or moral convictions or policies.”
The measure, signed by Republican Gov. Bill Lee, was widely condemned by members of the LGBTQ community for providing legal protections to agencies that reject foster care or adoption applications from same-sex homes. It also prohibits the state from denying agencies licenses or grants for public funding because they have a religious objection to placing a child in a certain home.
“The governor believes that protection of rights is important, especially religious liberty,” the governor’s spokesman Gillum Ferguson told the Tennessean. “This bill is centered around protecting the religious liberty of Tennesseans and that’s why he signed it.”
The bill passed in the Tennessee Senate on Jan. 14 with a 20-6 vote. State Sen. Steve Dickerson was the only Republican to vote against it, The Hill reported. Five additional GOP senators abstained. The measure, HB 836, had cleared the state’s House of Representatives in April.
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Article URL : https://www.foxnews.com/us/tennessee-law-adoption-lgbtq-gay-couples-religious-objections-gov-bill-lee