According to Fox News, Mike and Catherine “Kitty” Burke, a Catholic couple living in Massachusetts, were banned from participation in that state’s foster care system due to their religious beliefs. They have filed a federal lawsuit in response.
“Michael and Catherine Burke are a loving couple who want to welcome children into their family,” their lawsuit states. “After experiencing the heartbreak of infertility, Mike and Kitty decided to become foster parents, with the hope of caring for and eventually adopting children in need of a stable, loving home.”
Mike Burke is an Iraq war veteran, and Catherine has worked as a paraprofessional for children with special needs, according to a press release from Becket Law, a religious liberty firm which is representing the couple.
The press release states (emphasis added):
During their application process, the Burkes underwent hours of training, extensive interviews, and an examination of their home. Mike and Kitty completed the training successfully and received high marks from the instructors. However, during their home interviews, the Burkes were troubled that many questions centered on their Catholic views about sexual orientation and gender dysphoria. In response, the Burkes emphasized that they would love and accept any child, no matter the child’s future sexual orientation or struggles with gender identity.
However, because the Burkes said they would remain faithful to their religious beliefs regarding gender and sexuality, the state rejected their application to become foster parents. Becket Law’s press release states that Department of Children and Families officials said that “while [the Burkes] had strengths, their answers about sexuality and gender barred them from being licensed.”
READ: Teen adopted from foster care says ‘adoption has been a blessing’
Documentation from the state concerning the couple’s denial is included in the Burkes’ lawsuit. Correspondence from the state confirms that “Issues of concern for which the couple’s license study was denied is based on the couple’s statements/responses regarding placement of children who identified as LGBTQIA. The [License Review Team’s] clinical decision was that respective family, Kitty and Mike, would not be affirming to a child who identified as LGBTQIA.”
“After months of interviews and training, and after years of heartbreak, we were on the verge of finally becoming parents,” the couple said. “We were absolutely devastated to learn that Massachusetts would rather children sleep in the hallways of hospitals than let us welcome children in need into our home.”
Becket Law’s press release states that Massachusetts currently has a foster care crisis. “The Department of Children and Families (DCF) currently does not have enough foster homes or facilities to meet the needs of the children in its care, leaving over 1,500 children without a family,” it states, adding: “The crisis has become so extreme that the state has resorted to housing children in hospitals for weeks on end.”
Lori Windham, vice president and senior counsel at Becket Law, said, “It takes the heroic effort of parents like Mike and Kitty to provide vulnerable children with loving homes through foster care. Massachusetts’ actions leave the Burkes, and families of other faiths, out in the cold. How can they explain this to children waiting for a home?”
