A group of Republican attorneys general have warned that Joe Biden's new proposals would drive Christians out of the foster care system.
The new rule will remove faith-based providers from the foster care system if they do not change their religious beliefs on sexual orientation and gender identity.
On Monday, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall along with 18 Republican colleagues in other states wrote a letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) calling for the Biden administration to change the rule.
The group claim that the requirements for foster care families violates the Constitution and discriminates against people who uphold a Biblical view on sexuality and gender.
The group claim that the requirements for foster care families violates the Constitution and discriminates against people who uphold a Biblical view on sexuality and gender
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New plans would require foster families to utilise a foster child's "identified pronouns, chosen name, and allow the child to dress in an age-appropriate manner that the child believes reflects their self-identified gender identity and expression."
The proposals, named the Safe and Appropriate Foster Care Placement Requirements, also ensure a "safe and appropriate" placement for any child identifying as LGBT+.
In order to be "safe and appropriate", providers must establish an environment that is "free of hostility, mistreatment, or abuse based on the child's LGBTQI+ status."
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said: "This is going to change the complexion of how we view foster care treatment for our foster kids, but more importantly, how we look at the people who we rely on to care for foster kids."
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However, the attorney generals hit back saying that "the proposed rule will harm children by limiting the number of available foster homes, harm families by risking kinship placements, and harm states by increasing costs and decreasing care options."
They wrote: "These injuries will be suffered while HHS fails to solve a problem that the proposed rule does not even prove exists in foster care."
Their letter also highlights that the foster care system depends on both individuals and organisations of faith.
The latest data suggests that nearly 391,000 children were in foster care in 2022 and it will be estimated that 416,500 children will be in foster care by 2027.
The latest data suggests that nearly 391,000 children were in foster care in 2022 and it will be estimated that 416,500 children will be in foster care by 2027 (stock image)
Pexels"Without faith-based organisations and foster homes, the foster care system would face a critical lack of placement options," the AGs wrote.
They added that "caring for children in need is a duty of the Christian faith."
Marshall said: "Since the first century, Christians across the globe have answered the call to provide a home and a family to children who had neither."
"Alabama boasts a particularly strong faith-based foster care and adoption community, and I will fight this Administration for them every step of the way."