Prospective foster parents or providers’ “sincerely held moral and religious beliefs” about gender identity and sexual orientation cannot disqualify them for caring for kids under a law signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Senate File 473 bars the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services from requiring a licensed foster parent or provider affirm, accept or support a policy related to sexual orientation or gender identity that conflicts with their “sincerely held moral and religious beliefs.”
Reynolds signed the measure Tuesday, June 2. It takes effect July 1.
LGBTQ advocates fear the policy will open the door to discrimination against youth in foster care, while supporters contend the measure helps expand the pool of eligible foster parents by protecting religious freedom.
The Senate first passed the measure in 2025 but took it up again to OK some House-advanced changes, passing it again in a 28-16 party-line vote in April. The House voted 58-34 to pass the law.
Four House Republicans voted against the bill, and one House Democrat supported it.
“This bill protects religious liberty as the Constitution and our civil rights laws intend, preserves the state’s ability to make placement decisions in the best interest of the child and expands the number of families willing to help children in need,” Rep. Craig Williams, R-Manning, said during debate.
If the proposed protections are violated, a current or future foster parent could sue and recover their attorney fees and court costs. The attorney general could also take legal action to enforce the new rules.
Iowa HHS must adopt rules ensuring that religious organizations cannot be required to provide services in a manner that is “inconsistent” with a group’s religious beliefs.
The statewide LGBTQ advocacy group One Iowa opposed the legislation and this provision shielding religious providers.
“The original bill was touted as a way to increase religious freedom for foster parents, but they have undermined even that talking point by including language that would disallow parents who have different religious views from the providers,” executive director Max Mowitz said in a statement.
The law’s protections also cover kinship caregivers as well as adoption licensees.
It does not block HHS from determining the child’s best interests in foster care and adoption placement decisions, but Democrats contend the measure inherently diminishes their needs as a priority.
Iowa HHS could still consider the moral or religious beliefs related to LGBTQ topics of a child or the child’s family of origin when determining placement.
Rep. Angel Ramirez, D-Cedar Rapids, said the bill would allow children who have experienced traumatic events to be placed in another home that does not meet their needs.
“Whether you are agnostic, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, atheist, Christian or anything else, your belief system is critical to your very being,” Ramirez said. “To many children in the foster care system, your belief systems can carry you through the trauma. This bill says to the children in the foster care system, ‘Your belief systems don’t matter as much as your foster parents.'”
Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. Reach her by email at mjpayne@registermedia.com. Follow her on X at @marissajpayne.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa law lets foster parents refuse LGBTQ policies on religious grounds
Reporting by Marissa Payne, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Marissa Payne, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
