Meeting Public Comments

Subcommittee meeting and times are as follows:

A bill for an act relating to certain sincerely held religious or moral beliefs of child foster care providers and prospective adoptive parents. (Formerly SF 236.)

Subcommittee members: Williams-CH, Holt, Wessel-Kroeschell

Date: Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Time: 7:30 AM - 7:45 AM

Location: RM 102

Names and comments are public records. Remaining information is considered a confidential record.

Comments Submitted:

04-01-2025

Rebekah Jacobs

Please vote Opposed to SF 473. This bill sets a bad precedent in two distinct ways: 1) It goes against Iowa's civil right code protections on the basis of sexual orientation. If a child's employer cannot discriminate against them why should their foster parents be able to? 2) It allows a foster parent's "sincerely held religious beliefs" to override that of the child's real parents "sincerely held religious beliefs". Isn't the purpose of Foster Care to provide a child in need with a temporary house to keep the child safe while the Real parents work towards reunification? What good does it do a child to be told they can't be gay in a temporary home? If this bill was created to benefit the Foster Parents, why are they being prioritized over the child's well being? I'm honestly shocked this bill made it this far; common sense demands this bill be opposedvote no. Thank you for your time.

04-01-2025

Lisa Lima

I am a board member of Children's Square USA in Council Bluffs. We deal with children and families in crisis. Perhaps in the worst moments of their lives. Some children stay on campus until they are ready to leave, and some go into foster care. Children and families are met with respect and given opportunities to heal. They are not subjected to religiosity or sexuality limitations. I ask that you vote in opposition to this bill.

04-01-2025

Pamela McDonald

Please vot NO on SF 473.In vetting foster parents, the professionals involved should be allowed to screen potential candidates without biased restrictions such as this administered by the government. Let these people do their jobs, and stop the government interference.

04-01-2025

Benjamin Larson [Nebraska Cardiac Care]

The wording and permissions of this bill would inherently allow someone religious to purposefully seek out a child that feels that they aren't straight and forcibly enact their religious beliefs on them to try and "change" them. That genuinely could be considered Grooming of a minor, since it would be a chosen act aimed specifically against the sexual orientation of the child, and choosing them based upon that.Vote no, this bill is incredibly disturbing.

04-01-2025

Deborah Barrett

Vote NO on this bill. I find it both interesting and disturbing that in this legislative session there is a bill, HF269, titled The Freedom from Indoctrination Act and yet this bill seemingly allows foster parents or adoptive parents to indoctrinate these children to their religious beliefs. There are many of these older kids that go into foster care because their parents cant handle the childs sexual identity which this bill seems to really focus on. With the way this is worded I have to ask the question, if the foster family were Jewish, Hindu or Muslim and the child is Christian, would you still want that foster family to guide, instruct or raise the child in a manner consistent with the persons sincerely held religious beliefs? Or does that only apply if they are Christian? This is a really terrible bill.

04-02-2025

Jenna Nevins [Inner Harmonies, LLC]

As a trauma therapist, foster parent and adoptive parent, this bill is so outrageous I dont even have words. These children have been through enough and rejection of them, their religion, beliefs, or sexual identity wont be the solution toward creating healed, attached and morally attuned future adults. Oppose this bill for the sake of the children who dont get a voice.