'A misunderstanding': Bishops will allow lesbian to foster a child

“That is neither a ‘change’ in the USCCB’s position, nor a change in Church teaching.”

An unmarried lesbian will be allowed to foster a child after the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) let a lawsuit alleging discrimination go unchallenged, suggesting single LGBTQ adults may be able to foster through Catholic organizations while same-sex couples generally continue to be banned.

The decision comes in response to a complaint from Tennessee resident Kelly Easter, arguing that a federal foster-care program administered by the USCCB discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation. Easter sued in October after Michigan-based Bethany Christian Services, a sub-grantee of the USCCB, allegedly told her that the bishops’ conference would not let her apply to foster a refugee child.

In a February letter to Bethany, obtained by The Washington Post, the USCCB characterized the dispute as a misunderstanding and said it does not prohibit single gay people from fostering because of their sexual orientation. Easter dropped her lawsuit in June, as previously reported by Baptist News Global.

The question of whether Catholic foster-care organizations can decline to partner with LGBTQ people took a turn in the spotlight last year, when the Supreme Court ruled that Philadelphia was wrong to stop contracting with Catholic Social Services for its refusal to work with same-sex couples. Whether the USCCB will reverse its opposition to letting same-sex couples foster children remains undetermined, as does whether Easter could still foster if she becomes partnered.

“There is this unanswered question: So if she gets married, are you going to turn around and take the child away and stop working with her?” said Kenneth Upton, an attorney with Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which represents Easter. “I don’t know what the USCCB’s answer would be to that.”

The bishops’ conference declined an interview request but reiterated in a statement that the court case was “driven by a misunderstanding.” It said church teaching does not prohibit placing a child with a single adult, regardless of that person’s sexual orientation.

“That is neither a ‘change’ in the USCCB’s position, nor a change in Church teaching,” wrote Chieko Noguchi, a spokeswoman for the bishops’ conference.

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