Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago has responded to what its sister organization has done in Massachusetts—but the reply can hardly be called direct.
Citing a Massachusetts statute that allows gays and lesbians to adopt children, the Boston Archdiocese’s Catholic Charities stated that it would stop providing adoption services.
However, in its official statement, the local arm of Catholic Charities simply discussed its own adoption policies and did not take a stance regarding what transpired on the East Coast. In the release, it stated that its ‘focus has been, and remains, today, on the welfare of the children within our care.’ However, the statement added that ‘ [u] nder the current law of the State of Illinois, candidates for licensure are only single individuals or married couples,’ which, in theory, would include LGBT individuals.
Marilyn Panichi, executive director of Adoption Unlimited, also took a neutral stance when questioned about the development in Massachusetts. ‘If you’re a contractor with the state, one should abide by the rules,’ she said. ‘It seems like they couldn’t abide by the rules, so they [got out of the contract].’ When asked about the possible effect the adoption cessation could have on children, she responded that ‘Gov. [Mitt] Romney said that there are plenty of others to take [Catholic Charities’] place, so it remains to be seen what harm has been done.’