AAP Statement on Fulton vs. the City of Philadelphia Supreme Court Decision

By: Lee Savio Beers, MD, FAAP, President, American Academy of Pediatrics

"Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling in Fulton vs. the City of Philadelphia upholding a faith-based foster care agency’s right to contract with the city while also refusing to work with same-sex couples as potential foster parents. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), along with the American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, and American Psychological Association, filed an amicus brief urging the Court not to allow the agency to discriminate against same-sex couples seeking to serve as foster or adoptive parents.
“All children need loving, supportive parents. This decision makes it harder for both LGBTQ children to find permanent homes and potential foster parents who are LGBTQ to foster or adopt. Pediatricians will continue to advocate for all children who are impacted by today’s decision in Philadelphia, and those across the country who are worried about their own ability to find accepting families.
“The American Academy of Pediatrics calls on the Biden Administration and Congress to ensure strong protections against discrimination in the child welfare system, so that all children can thrive in safe, caring, and accepting families.”

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org and follow us on Twitter @AmerAcadPeds.