New Hope Family Services has won a second religious freedom case against the state of New York after an attempt by officials from another state agency to punish the organization for its religious convictions. New Hope is a faith-based adoption provider that has had extraordinary success in placing infants with disabilities or other “hard to place” factors in permanent homes with married heterosexual couples. The first victory was won in a federal court that ruled in New Hope’s favor also protecting its religious freedom. In 2010 New York state amended its Domestic Relations Law giving unmarried adult couples and married couples the right to adopt, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The adoption agency had became a target of the New York Office of Children and Family Services with threats to close the non-profit for its faith-based policy.
