Oklahoma bill could refuse people to adoption services if passed

TULSA, Okla. - Couples could be refused as foster care or adoptive parents in Oklahoma. This is due to a bill that is now heading to the House of Representatives for a vote. State Representative Sally Kern authored the proposal.

Kern's bill, "The Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act of 2016," is one step closer to potentially becoming a law. She said, in an exclusive interview with Tulsa's Channel 8, child welfare providers in Oklahoma have a right to decline service to families looking to adopt or foster if there is a conflict with the provider's religious beliefs. Kern said she hopes the bill will protect the companies from the state refusing to contract with them because of those morals.

"Ensures that the state of Oklahoma, DHS, or any other state agencies departments on commission can refuse to contract with child care service providers because they have religious beliefs or moral convictions that are clearly expressed in their mission statement, their articles of incorporation or their certificate of incorporation," said Kern.

There has been a lot of commotion about this bill. Some people think this is Kern's way of discriminating against the LGBT community.

"Absolutely does not prevent homosexuals from entering into adoptions. It does not in any way affect the homosexual community prohibiting them from adoptions, that has not been changed. What this does is it says the state cannot refuse to enter into a contract with a service provider just because they have sincerely held religious beliefs," said Kern.

The state representative said she believes members of the community and certain media outlets are twisting her words in the proposal.

"Frankly, they're just biased against meit's my bill, it mentions religious freedom and so, therefore, they're going to assume that I'm trying to do something to limit their rights," said Kern.

Nightlight Christian Adoptions in Tulsa works with seven states and 11 countries. Directors of the agency said Kern's plan does not represent their morals.

"We do have strong beliefs and those are in our mission statement, but not in a discriminatory way. We want to treat people the way we believe Christ would treat people and that's with love and grace and acceptance," said Mike Noruma, the agency's legal counsel.

"We have a lot of children waiting for foster or for adoption. So we're all eagerly trying to recruit families and find families for those children. But I don't see this as impacting the number of agencies that would be out there," said Noruma and his wife Debbie, the agency's executive director.

Kern said she is confident the House will vote on her bill because child welfare providers have the legal right.

"The first amendment guarantees freedom of religion, but it doesn't force you to have a religion. And so, there's nothing in this bill that is going to prevent any group from adopting," said Kern.

She further explained, "What's happening in some states is that states are refusing to do contracts with groups that have religious convictions and that violates the first amendment. So we're just putting in statute that you can't do that in Oklahoma. It absolutely does not touch the LGBT community."

The bill passed in the State House Committee in a five to two vote. The next step will be a discussion and vote at the House level. If passed, the bill will then move to the Senate to possibly make it a state law.