Christian Mother in Oregon Allowed to Foster Children, Not Required to Recognize Gender Identity

A federal court in Oregon ruled that a woman may foster children despite her unwillingness to abide by Oregon’s laws about accepting the gender identity and sexuality of foster children due to her religious beliefs.
 

The Details: The court’s opinion read, “The state denied Jessica Bates’s application under this policy after Bates, based on her sincerely held religious beliefs, objected to using adopted children’s preferred pronouns or taking them to medical appointments for gender transitions.” Judge Daniel Bress, who co-authored the opinion, found that “Oregon’s policy violates the First Amendment as applied to Bates.”

For Context: Jessica Bates is a mother of five biological children who said her desire to become a foster parent grew after she lost her husband in a car accident. She first applied to become a foster parent in 2023 when her application was denied for saying she would not abide by the Oregon Department of Human Services requirement to affirm the gender identity of any child in her care. She wrote in her application, “I cannot support this behavior in a child…I believe God gives us our gender/sex and it’s not something we get to choose.”

How the Media Covered It: The story was not widely covered by mainstream media outside of Oregon. Daily Citizen (Right bias) wrote that Oregon’s laws are an attempt to “restrict the right of Christians to adopt or foster children.” It also included Bates’ lawyer’s statement calling transgender medical treatments “dangerous.” LGBTQ Nation (Left) wrote the headline, “Court says Christian mom can discriminate against LGBTQ+ foster kids,” framing the ruling as harmful to transgender and queer children. It said Bates attempted to “villainize the state” with her case and noted that 30% of children in the Oregon foster care system identify as LGBTQ+.

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