A constitutional challenge to Oregon’s adoption policy, which requires prospective parents to accept a child’s sexual and gender identity even if it conflicts with the parent’s religious beliefs, appeared to divide Ninth Circuit judges at a Tuesday hearing.
The lawsuit against Oregon’s Department of Health and Human Services was brought by Jessica Bates, who sought to adopt a sibling pair and said she would accept and love any child placed in her care. She was, however, unwilling to speak or act in a way that violated her religious beliefs about human sexuality, such as using a child’s preferred pronouns that …
