What Is the Aderholt Amendment?

On Wednesday July 11, 2018, a House Committee added an amendment to the House Appropriations Bill that funds the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education for FY2019. This “Aderholt amendment” mirrors the language in the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act, and if passed, would:

  • allow taxpayer-funded child placing agencies to deny needed services and discriminate against children in their care, as well as prospective foster or adoptive parents, based on the agency or provider’s religious beliefs
  • allow service providers to turn away qualified adoptive and foster parents based on their religion, marital status, sexual orientation, or gender identity
  • reduce the number of available adoptive and foster homes for children, harming ALL children in care
  • punish states with nondiscrimination protections by withholding federal adoption funding, further harming all children in foster care

The Aderholt Amendment will harm the near half a million children in our foster care and child welfare system. By allows taxpayer-funded service providers to turn away qualified adoptive and foster care parents not only is it discrimination, but it limits the number of permanent homes for children in care.

Additionally, this amendment allows service denials and discrimination against LGBTQ youth, and could allow youth to be subjected to harmful, medically discredited conversion therapy – or encourage them to hide their identity to ensure future adoptions, causing further damage. The amendment would punish states that prohibit discrimination by cutting 15% of their child welfare funding – up to $1.04 billion in funding nationwide. In New York it is estimated that 19,702 children would be affected and over 86 million dollars of funding would  be at risk. 

What We Can do to Fight Against the Aderholt Amendment

The most powerful act an individual can take is to call their elected representatives about an issue.   Just click on this link and contact them right now. Or, learn more about the issue here; https://everychilddeservesafamily.com/no-adoption-discrimination-federal-funding/

In addition to signing on with many other child welfare organizations on group letters in opposition, our New York Congressional representatives in the United State House and Senate have received the following letter directly at both their DC and local district offices:

 

We are doing all that we can to ensure that discrimination is never given more value than the welfare of children. You can, too.