Catholic Couple Sues Mass. for Woke Foster Parent Policy

A married Catholic couple is suing Massachusetts after being denied the opportunity to become foster parents due to concerns they would not be “affirming” to a child who identified as LGBTQ+, DailyMail.com reported.

Catherine and Michael Burke’s foster parent application was denied by Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) in April after staff members were concerned about the couple’s responses to questions regarding care for an LGBTQ+ child, DailyMail.com reported.

The husband and wife, who work at Catholic churches as musicians, applied to be foster parents after experiencing “the heartbreak of infertility.”

The Burkes, in their lawsuit, say they “believe that children should not undergo procedures that attempt to change their God-given sex, and they uphold Catholic beliefs about marriage and sexuality,” DailyMail.com reported.

They added that their values are “decent and honorable” and that the DCF’s rejection of their foster license is “discriminatory and unconstitutional.”

The DCF last updated its list of regulations for adopting or fostering a child in January. Included is the requirement that foster parents “promote the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of a child placed in his or her care, including supporting and respecting a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity.”

The Burkes argue that DCF can’t use those standards “to operate as a religious exclusion for potential foster parents.”

“We were absolutely devastated to learn that Massachusetts would rather children sleep in the hallways of hospitals than let us welcome children in need into our home,” Michael Burkes, an Iraq war veteran with PTSD, said in a statement.

The Burkes had undergone months of interviews and training before their application was denied.

The Burkes’ lawyers, from Becket Law, said the couple became concerned that many of the department’s questions during home interviews were centered on their Catholic views about sexual orientation.

“It takes the heroic effort of parents like Mike and Kitty to provide vulnerable children with loving homes through foster care,” said Lori Windham, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, DailyMail.com reported.

“Massachusetts’ actions leave the Burkes, and families of other faiths, out in the cold. How can they explain this to children waiting for a home?”

Eleven DCF employees were named as defendants in the lawsuit. They included Linda Spears, the department’s commissioner, and Kate Walsh, the secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services.