NWLC Responds to Supreme Court Ruling Limiting Enforcement of Civil Rights in Philadelphia Social Services
(Washington D.C.) The following is a statement from Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center:
“Today’s ruling is a harmful loss to the children in the foster care system in Philadelphia as well as the countless LGBTQ parents who want nothing more than to give these children a loving home. Weakening the government’s ability to protect their civil rights is hardly in their best interest, and we’re committed to ensuring this loophole is not stretched to further justify hatred or prejudice. We must protect the right of every person to live without fear of discrimination because of who they are or who they love, and we must hold that value particularly close when it comes to the best interest of LGBTQ youth and the families who love them.”
The National Women’s Law Center, along with our law firm partner Dentons and 35 additional civil rights and gender justice organizations filed an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court supporting the City of Philadelphia and intervenors Support Center for Child Advocates and Philadelphia Family Pride, represented by the ACLU, in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. In this case, Catholic Social Services claims it need not comply with Philadelphia’s anti-discrimination laws and is attempting to force the City to reinstate their taxpayer-funded foster care services contract.