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Alliance Defending Freedom
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===Religion in public institutions=== According to materials for its donors, ADF seeks to spread a belief in "the framers' original intent for the [[US Constitution]] and the [[U.S. Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]] as it reflects God's natural law and God's higher law."<ref name=990-2008/> Before taking the oath of office as Speaker of the House of Representatives, {{as of |alt=current |2023|10}}, former ADF lawyer [[Mike Johnson]] stated, "The Bible is very clear that God is the one that raises up those in authority ... each of you, all of us."<ref name="johnson-christian-right" /> The organization pursues "strategies for reclaiming the judicial system as it was originally envisioned," most notably through litigation.<ref name=990-2008/> The ADF has been involved in several [[United States Supreme Court]] cases that would permit equal access to public buildings and public funds for religious organisations, such as ''[[Rosenberger v. University of Virginia]]'' (1995) and ''[[Good News Club v. Milford Central School]]'' (2001). ADF also supported allowing [[prayer]] at the start of monthly public town meetings (see ''[[Town of Greece v. Galloway]]'') and the use of religious displays (such as [[Christian cross|crosses]] and other religious monuments) in public buildings and on [[public land]]s.<ref name="Human Events">{{Cite journal |last=Gizzi |first=John |year=2009 |title=Alliance Defense Fund Promotes Religious Freedom |journal=[[Human Events]] |volume=65 |issue=28 |page=21}}</ref> ==== Parental rights regarding sex education in schools ==== ADF has argued that parents who object to [[sex education]] on religious grounds should have the right to opt not to have their children attend.<ref name="Human Events" /> ====Christian-only adoption==== In 2022, ADF took on a case defending a Tennessee-based Christian [[adoption agency]] that refused to work with Jewish prospective parents.<ref name="TN-adopt" /><ref name="TN-nyt" /><ref name="tn-apnews" /><ref name="guardian-TN" /> The case, which names the [[State of Tennessee]] as a defendant for its law permitting religious organizations to reject applicants based on faith, was dismissed on technical grounds.<ref name="mattise-dismiss" /> The case was appealed to the Tennessee Court of Appeals,<ref name="mattise-dismiss" /><ref name="AU" /> which reversed the trial-court panel's decision on August 24, 2023, agreeing that the prospective parents and all the other plaintiffs have the right to bring the lawsuit. The Tennessee Department of Children's Services then filed an application seeking review of the case by the Tennessee Supreme Court, which the court denied on May 16, 2024.<ref>{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Melissa |date=May 17, 2024 |title=Lawsuit alleging religious discrimination in Tennessee adoption law can proceed |url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/2024/05/17/lawsuit-tennessee-jewish-couple-adoption-law/73734097007/ |website=[[Knox News]] <!-- agency? |work=[[USA Today]] --> |access-date={{date|March 13, 2025}}}}</ref> Commenting on an earlier case in South Carolina, an ADF spokesperson expressed support for an [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]] foster care provider in South Carolina that rejects Jewish prospective parents, as well as LGBTQ people, atheists, and other non-Christians.<ref name="miracle-hill-adl" /><ref name="barred" /> The agency, Miracle Hill Ministries, is the largest foster and adoption agency in South Carolina and receives public funding; its president has stated that its religious discrimination policy is justified, because "We look like a social service agency, but we're a community of Christ followers and our faith in Christ is the most important part of who we are."<ref name="davis-gvonline" /><ref name="exemption" /> A [[Catholicism|Catholic]] woman sued the agency after being rejected on the basis of religion, but the agency later changed its rules to permit "Catholics who affirm Miracle Hill's doctrinal statement in belief and practice to serve as foster parents and employees."<ref name="catholic-accepted" /> At the request of South Carolina governor [[Henry McMaster]], the [[First presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]] granted the organization a waiver of federal non-discrimination law. An ADF spokesperson indicated that the organization is "grateful [to] HHS and South Carolina" for granting the waiver, which allows the agency to continue to restrict fostering and adoption work to those who endorse evangelical beliefs.<ref name="miracle-hill-adl" /><ref name="barred" /><ref name="miracle-hill-foster" />
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