Pro-life Americans often get criticized for focusing too much on babies in the womb and not enough on those who’ve been born. Yet countless evangelical Christians devote their lives to foster care, adoption and similar services for vulnerable children. As born-again Christians, we have been adopted by Christ and have a special obligation to those who need a mother and father.

But those who want to live out these convictions frequently find themselves stopped by the government. Last week the Trump administration took a major step toward addressing the problem.

In the closing days of the Obama administration, the federal government handed down a regulation that effectively barred from federal child-welfare programs organizations that believe marriage is between a man and woman. This affected many Roman Catholic and evangelical Protestant organizations. This misguided policy was rushed into effect right before President Trump’s inauguration.

While the Obama administration made the issue national, it’s happening locally too. In March 2018, Philadelphia declared an urgent need for hundreds of new foster families. Then the city government barred Catholic Social Services from placing children in homes because of the Catholic Church’s teaching about marriage. City hall’s use of children as leverage to force a religious institution to change its beliefs was appalling.

Michigan’s Attorney General Dana Nessel cited the Obama-era rule when attempting to cancel a state-approved foster-care and adoption-services contract with St. Vincent Catholic Charities. Thankfully, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction so the group can continue serving children as the case continues. This year the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a waiver to Miracle Hill Ministries, one of the leading adoption and foster-care providers in South Carolina. This Christian ministry provides placements for 15% of the children in the state’s foster care system. The waiver was a welcome recognition of the important work Christian agencies do, but still they’re only a brief respite.

It’s no secret what happens when faith-based providers get pushed out. A year after Boston stopped working with them, the percentage of youth in foster care who left the Massachusetts system because they aged out rose more than 50%. With fewer available homes to place children in, aging out is one of the worst outcomes as it increases a child’s likelihood of homelessness and unemployment. The rate still has not returned to pre-2006 levels. In 2011 Illinois passed a law discontinuing its partnerships with faith-based agencies—then lost more than 1,500 foster homes between 2012 and 2017. All this when the world desperately needs more providers.

And it made this week’s news even more encouraging. On Thursday, the White House announced a new rule that will help faith-based organizations remain a vital part of the child-welfare system. The Obama-era provisions redefined federal nondiscrimination policies in a way that excluded faith-based groups. The new rule brings regulations at the Department of Health and Human Services back in line with all other federal nondiscrimination law and Supreme Court precedent.

This is not a narrowing rule that excludes gay people and others from serving children. Instead, the regulation merely ensures that no one is kept from serving, while ending an attempt to stop religious organizations from doing so consistent with their convictions. It’s a welcome statement that the child-welfare system is about the welfare of children—not proxy culture wars.

Communities of faith have a lot to offer to children in foster care. Barna research shows that practicing Christians may be more than twice as likely to adopt compared with the general population—with Catholics three times as likely and evangelicals five times as likely. That’s because Christians are eager to open their hearts and homes for children in foster care. They are commanded by the Bible to care for widows and orphans in their distress (James 1:20). One need not agree with these beliefs to see that it is self-defeating for government to bar the participation of thousands of religious Americans from serving children in need because of their theological convictions.

The U.S. faces a crisis when it comes to children. The foster-care system is burdened, with children who need parents enduring tragically long waits for placement. Genuine civic pluralism means everyone—secularists, atheists and agnostics, along with religious people of all sorts—should care about these children. Why exclude those who are the most motivated? The White House rule change is a good start in that direction.

RealMrNigerD:
America made a transition from most inhumane, biased, anti-god, worst mistake of a president ever(Obama) to the best world leader in recent times(trump). Nigeria have hope.
This is what true religion should be focused on- helping the needy, sadly, in many places it is now about glamorous, flamboyant/ostentatious show off.
Again, see how biased leftist media is, all these and more occurred in Obama era, you won't hear a word of it. Rather they'd paint Obama as a hero/model. Can't wait for all Obamas dirt to be dug out from under the carpet. The world would be in shock. Shitty and disgusting CNN, BBC, Guardian, New York Times, Washington Post and the rest of them. Yuk! God bless Fox News, MSNBC, Politico,Breinbart...

Lucasbalo:
Obama has been married for 25 years to the same woman with no scandal or cheating on his spouse and have two beautiful children unlike thrice married Trump with five children who cheated on all his wives and loves to grab women by their crotches. Who is the anti Christ then ?. Trump is the best leader for nazis, skinheads, klans and the other deplorables. This American and the other the of millions of God fearing Americans will kick him out in a landslide comes Nov 3 of 2020. The racist pig is the worst President in American history.