How the Mighty Have Fallen

This story was nice to run across this morning:

Judge John Schmidt ruled that the state did not violate the rights of charities in in Peoria, Belleville, Springfield and Joliet when The Department of Children and Family Services ( DCFS ) denied the charities foster care contracts. The state denied the contracts because the charities had refused to place children with unmarried and civil union couples.

Schmidt issued the judgment just a day after the two sides faced off in crowded Sangamon County courtroom Aug. 17.

"The fact that the Plaintiffs have contracted with the State to provide foster care and adoption services for over forty years does not vest the Plaintiffs with a protected property interest," Schmidt wrote in the judgment. "The State may refuse to renew the Plaintfiffs' contracts."

The idea that Catholic Charities can even advance the "property interest" argument demonstrates the degree to which religious organizations feel a sense of entitlement in this country: whatever they want to do is OK because they're churches. The arrogance of the Catholic Church, in particular, seems to have no limits.

Downstream, of course, it translates into anyone having the "right" to discriminate in any area because it's their "religion." My recommendation to any jurisdiction that has pharmacists refusing to dispense any legal medication, or town clerks refusing to sign marriage certificates on "religious" grounds -- yank their licenses.

And I am very happy with the Governor, the Attorney General, and the Department of Family Services for not caving on this one.