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16th Jan 2020

Tennessee has just passed a bill that will prevent same-sex couples adopting

Melissa Carton

This is awful.

LGBT families in America have been dealt a blow after it was announced that a bill had passed in Tennessee that will prohibit same sex couples from adopting children.

The bill that was signed into law this week says that no adoption agency in the State can legally allow a gay couple to adopt a child.

Some religious based agencies already prevented LGBT couples from adopting but according to the bill any agency that allows same sex couples to adopt would “violate the agency’s written religious or moral convictions or policies”.

Measures were put in place last year to make this new bill come about but it wasn’t until January 14 that it was passed into law.

The new bill now gives any and all adoption agencies the legal power to discriminate against same sex couples trying to adopt a child.

Governor Bill Lee was warned that the bill could gain the state a negative reputation but he nevertheless signed it into law this week.

Shockingly, Governor Lee stated that he had not even read the new bill which could potentially leave many children without a stable home, before he signed off on it and allowed it to be passed.

Many including Republican state senator Steve Dickerson raised the issue that this new bill will add to the increasing number of children looking for a home;

“I expect that waiting list to increase somewhat.

He added: “This will have a direct fiscal impact on the state, not to mention the humanitarian impact and emotional impact on those children who … will now be in a foster setting for a longer time.”

Tennessee is just one state in a list of states in America who have put a ban on same sex couple adopting.

Other states include Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, South Dakota, Virginia and Michigan.