Couple told they can’t foster refugee child because they don’t “mirror the Holy Family”

A Texas couple is suing for discrimination after a federally funded nonprofit told them they couldn’t foster refugee children because of their sexual orientation. Catholic Charities of Fort Worth told them they were ineligible — because their same-sex marriage “doesn’t mirror the Holy Family.”

via NewNowNext

Married couple Fatma Marouf, 41, and Bryn Esplin, 33, struggled to conceive a child through IVF, and hit roadblocks when they attempted to adopt a child domestically. So the women decided to foster a refugee child, hoping to bring a young person into their safe and loving home.

CCFW is the only organization in their area that provides refugee-fostering services, leaving Marouf and Esplin with no other options. The stunned pair reached out to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to see if the response was even legal.

Now, the women are suing numerous government agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as Catholic Charities, for discrimination.

The lawsuit comes less than a week after the Georgia state Senate passed the Keep Faith in Adoption and Foster Care Act, which would allow adoption and foster-care agencies to refuse to place children with same-sex couples.