PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A bill that would give new legal protections to adoption agencies and foster groups that cite religious reasons for denying services is one step away from becoming law.
The Senate voted 27-8 Tuesday to agree to changes made in the House, advancing the bill to Gov. Dennis Daugaard. The Republican governor didn’t provide a position on the bill to reporters last week.
The proposal says that child-placement agencies can’t be required to provide services that conflict with “sincerely-held” religious beliefs. It says the state can’t “discriminate” against agencies that exercise such convictions.
Critics say it would allow state-funded child-placement agencies to discriminate against children or prospective parents.
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