I did not file this lawsuit for “Catholic rights.” I am doing this because there are hundreds of thousands of kids in foster care. Many are in institutions right now, when instead they could be in the middle of bedtime stories, tucked in by loving parents, knowing that no matter what happened today, tomorrow they will wake up just as loved as they were when they were put to bed.

Americans United applauded the June 5 introduction of the Every Child Deserves a Family (ECDF) Act, proposed legislation that will ensure that taxpayer-funded adoption, foster care and child welfare agencies don’t discriminate against children, families and individuals on the basis of religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status.