Appeals Court Blocks Adoption Requirement of Supporting Children’s Sexual Orientation

Oregon’s requirement says people seeking to adopt must ’respect, accept and support‘ a child’s ’sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity.’

A representative picture of a judge banging a gavel. Shutterstock

A federal appeals court on July 24 ruled 2–1 against Oregon’s requirement that prospective adoptive parents support the “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” of children they’re seeking to adopt.

“A state’s general conception of the child’s best interest does not create a force field against the valid operation of other constitutional rights,” such as the free exercise of religion and speech, U.S. Circuit Judge Daniel Bress wrote for the majority of a split U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit panel.