The Adoption Audits: No Rational Justification

Michael Grabinski, two weeks old held by his mother Calee, waits to be measured by Dr. David Brumbaugh at The Children's Hospital in Aurora

On Wednesday, I posted a short piece about the Obama administration’s mass-scale audit of adoptive families — 69 percent of returns claiming the refundable adoption tax credit were audited in 2012. In the ensuing discussion (I was grateful that it was linked and discussed in multiple places), IRS-apologist commenters came up with a common justification: The IRS was just trying to stop all that adoption fraud. For example, here are two commenters from Rod Dreher’s blog at The A... Continue Reading

Filed in: Free Speech | by David French | 2:31 PM May. 22, 2013

IRS Morality: Defend Planned Parenthood, Deluge Adoptive Families with Audits

Earlier this week, in a feeble attempt at humor on Facebook, I posted: “If you haven’t been audited by the IRS during the Obama administration, can you even call yourself a conservative?” Given the scale of the abuses, I should probably just shorten it and say, “Only RINOs don’t get audited.” My wife and I got audited in 2011, with the IRS examining every inch of our adoption the previous year. The process was painful, but we got through it, and our refund may... Continue Reading

Filed in: Abortion | by David French | 9:26 AM Apr. 26, 2013

Is the Left Launching an Attack on Evangelical Adoption?

A baby is seen inside the childbirth unit at hospital Escuela in Tegucigalpa

Thanks to the publication of Kathryn Joyce’s new book, The Child Catchers: Rescue, Trafficking, and the New Gospel of Adoption (excerpted here in Mother Jones, and Ms. Joyce is interviewed here at NPR), there’s been an online wave of criticism/examination of Evangelicals’ so-called orphan fever. To some, conservative Christians are incentivizing child-trafficking, engaging in a form of cultural imperialism by yanking children from their native cultures and evangelizing them int... Continue Reading

Filed in: US Constitution | by Jay Sekulow | 12:00 AM Apr. 19, 2011

UPDATE: Win for Faith-Based Adoption Agencies in Virginia

It's a tremendous victory for religious liberty. Last week, we told you about a proposed regulation by the Virginia Department of Social Services that would force faith-based adoption placement agencies to either violate the tenets of their faith or forfeit their licenses. The proposed regulation would prohibit Virginia adoption agencies from making decisions regarding prospective parents on the basis of religion, sexual orientation, or family status. We submitted our concerns to the agency - outlining the legal and public policy flaws with the proposed regulation. Our public comment, posted here, was clear: the proposed regulation would jeopardize the best interests of children in pursuit of a political agenda by forcing religiously affiliated adoption agencies to close their doors or compromise their standards and principles. The regulation is entirely unnecessary, as married couples or individuals desiring to adopt a child have ample opportunity to do so without any need to tra... Continue Reading

Filed in: US Constitution | by Jay Sekulow | 12:00 AM Apr. 13, 2011

Virginia Must Protect Faith-Based Adoption Agencies

It's an issue that's getting a lot of attention in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We have submitted public comments opposing a regulation proposed by the Virginia Department of Social Services that would force faith-based adoption placement agencies to either violate the tenets of their faith or forfeit their licenses. The proposed regulation, 22 VAC 40-131-170(B), would prohibit Virginia adoption agencies from making decisions regarding prospective parents on the basis of religion, sexual orientation, or family status. Our comments explain that this proposal would jeopardize the best interests of children in pursuit of a political agenda by forcing religiously affiliated adoption agencies to close their doors or compromise their standards and principles. The regulation is entirely unnecessary, as married couples or individuals desiring to adopt a child have ample opportunity to do so without any need to trample upon the religious freedom of faith-based adoption agencies. We provided se... Continue Reading