Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has signed the Keep Kids First Act, a strong pro-family, pro-religious freedom bill that protects adoptive and foster parents from being penalized for their Christian or traditional beliefs on marriage, sexuality, and gender.
The law ensures that the state “may not discriminate against adoptive parents based on refusal to accept or support any government policy regarding sexual orientation or gender identity that conflicts with the person’s sincerely held religious beliefs.” It also allows affected families to take legal action if the state violates their rights.
Governor Sanders’ move puts Arkansas firmly in the camp of states defending parental rights and religious liberty. The law also protects faith-based foster and adoption agencies from being forced to compromise their values—something that’s increasingly under attack in more progressive states.
“Every child deserves a loving home,” said Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Senior Counsel Greg Chafuen, praising the law. He added that other states “have put politics over people by excluding caring families and faith-based adoption and foster care organizations.”
Chafuen called the act a victory that “prioritizes the well-being of kids” by ensuring that Christian parents and agencies aren’t disqualified “simply because of their religious beliefs and moral convictions.”
ADF, which defends religious liberty nationwide, is currently representing families in Vermont and Oregon, where progressive governments require prospective parents to affirm radical gender ideology before being approved to foster or adopt.
Arkansas joins Kansas, where lawmakers just overrode Democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of similar legislation. The Kansas bill likewise prohibits government agencies from forcing families to affirm LGBT policies in order to open their homes to children.
At a time when thousands of children need loving homes, conservatives argue that government-imposed ideological tests are pushing away good, moral families. The Keep Kids First Act marks a decisive stand in defense of faith, family, and the fundamental rights of parents.
