Washington, DC. In a letter to the chairman and vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, a coalition of six national atheist, humanist, and secular groups urged the Senate to oppose a discriminatory amendment to the House Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations bill that would put the health and welfare of children in our nations adoption and foster care system at risk.

This amendment, introduced by Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Alabama) and passed over bipartisan opposition in committee, would require states to allow taxpayer-funded child welfare agencies to discriminate and refuse to provide services based on their religious beliefs in order to avoid crushing financial penalties to their child welfare systems. Currently 46 states have protections against religious discrimination in place which would trigger such penalties, potentially resulting in over $1 billion in federal funds withheld from child welfare agencies.

Read more at American Atheists.

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