Christian mother sues state of Oregon over denied adoption due to her gender beliefs

A mother of five from Oregon is suing the state, alleging that her religious convictions on gender and sex prohibited her from adopting two siblings, and that the state’s actions violated her First Amendment rights.

Jessica Bates claims she encountered difficulty during the adoption process when she reported that her faith prevented her from supporting the state’s sexual orientation and gender identity training requirements. Bates also cited her unwillingness to allow children under her care to receive cross-sex hormone injections as a factor in the adoption denial.

The adoption application for Oregon requires prospective parents to “respect, accept and support the sexual orientation, gender identity, [and] gender expression” of the children they hope to adopt, which Bates alleges violates her religious beliefs.

Christina Kiefer, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, argued that Oregon’s actions represent a prioritisation of “ideology and politics over children,” emphasising that the state’s policy unfairly discriminates against parents with religious convictions.

Bates further alleged that her training with the Resource and Adoptive Family (RAFT) program in Oregon encouraged her to engage in practices which violated her religious beliefs, such as using a child’s preferred pronouns, attending Gay Pride parades, and allowing children to take risky pharmaceutical interventions such as puberty blockers and hormone shots.

Despite Bates being a single widow who was already caring for five children, her Christian faith motivated her to seek to adopt other young people in need.

“I have no problem loving them and accepting them as they are, but I would not encourage them in this behavior. I believe God gives us our gender/sex, and it’s not something we get to choose,” said Bates.

It is hoped that Bates will be granted permission to move forward with the adoption process, with advocates calling for a change in state policy to prevent discrimination against parents with religious convictions.

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