The policies of a foster care agency in South Carolina are the latest controversy in the debate over religious freedom and government-funded social services. Miracle Hill Ministries, a Christian organization, had come under fire for its policy of accepting only Protestant, churchgoing parents to its federally funded foster care program. Although an Obama-era regulation bars religious discrimination in federally funded foster care programs, the Department of Health and Human Services recently granted Miracle Hill Ministries an exemption. The decision is an another example of efforts by the Trump administration to roll back the Obama-era policies and demonstrate its commitment to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).
Professor Robin Fretwell Wilson, an expert in family law and religious liberty, weighed in for an article with Christianity Today, suggesting that the government should have more regulatory authority over faith-based agencies that accept public money.
Wilson gave credence to the idea that the Miracle Hill case feels different because it defends faith-based organizations’ rights to restrict based on affiliation and belief.
“The public perception feels really different. I’m going to send away someone who’s also a believer?” Wilson said. “It tests our religious freedom in a different way.”
Read the full article at Christianity Today. Wilson also provided commentary for Religion News Service (1/23 and 1/30) and WBUR's On Point.