An Oregon mom is now free to begin the process of adopting from the state’s foster care system after officials initially denied her application because she refused to promote gender ideology in her home, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has ruled.
Jessica Bates filed a lawsuit in April 2023 challenging an Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) rule that excluded her from adopting any child—no matter their age or beliefs—because she would not lie to them and tell them that “girls can be boys and vice versa.”
“State officials demanded that I agree to use a child’s preferred pronouns, possibly take a child to Pride parades, and even potentially take an adolescent child to receive dangerous pharmaceutical interventions like hormone shots,” Bates wrote in an opinion piece for Fox News.
