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Adoption Agencies Can Now Choose To Refuse Gay Couples, Thanks To A New Law

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In news that will probably make you feel quite sick, Alabama has just made it legal for adoption agencies to refuse to place children with gay parents. 

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Yes, really.

The decision came on Wednesday, when legislators in Alabama – a majority Republican state in which Trump received over 60% of the vote – made it possible for faith-based adoption groups to refuse placements based on religious beliefs.

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“I ultimately signed House Bill 24 because it ensures hundreds of children can continue to find forever homes through religiously-affiliated adoption agencies. This bill is not about discrimination, but instead protects the ability of religious agencies to place vulnerable children in a permanent home,” Governor Kay Ivey said in a statement.

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Actors and same-sex partners Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka with their children (Credit: Getty Images)

The bill, which only applies to private agencies and not state or federal funded organisations, attracted majority support in the Alabama legislature.

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Advocacy groups, however, have not been so supportive. Eva Kendrick, the state director of the Human Rights Campaign, expressed deep disappointment, describing the bill as “unnecessary [and] discriminatory.”

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Gay adoption is legal across most Australian jurisdictions

 …and in even worse news, Alabama is not the only American state to enforce such policies – in fact; South Dakota, North Dakota and Michigan have also passed similar laws.

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