DC Catholic Archdiocese Kills Foster Care Program Over Same-Sex Marriage

Citing the coming legality of same-sex marriage, Washington DC's Catholic Charities today announced the end of its foster care program rather than be forced to license gay couples to care for desperate children in need.

Catholic Charities, which receives $20 million from the city, had sounded alarms in the run-up to the council vote, saying programs serving tens of thousands of people were in danger. Being forced to recognize same-sex marriage, church officials said, could make it impossible for the church to be a city contractor because Catholic teaching opposes same-sex marriage. The church and some experts said the city's measure has narrower exemptions for religious groups than other same-sex marriage laws across the country, particularly when it comes to requiring benefits for the same-sex partners of employees. City officials knew of no other faith-based groups that said their city contracts were in jeopardy.

Their foster care program in DC had been running for 80 years.