Does this help? It is from the Massachusetts statutes. I assume there are also administrative regs, but I have not looked for them. Marc Stern G.L.c. 210, ยง 11A. Adoption services offered by certain persons or agencies; penalty.
Section 11A. Any person or entity other than a duly authorized agent or employee of the department of social services or a child care or placement agency licensed under the provisions of chapter twenty-eight A, who causes to be published in the commonwealth an advertisement or notice of children offered or wanted for adoption, or in any way offers to place, locate or dispose of children offered or wanted for adoption, or who holds himself out in any way as being able to place, locate or dispose of children for adoption shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars. Any such person who shall accept payment in the form of money or other consideration in return for placing a child for adoption shall be punished by a fine of not less than five thousand and not more than thirty thousand dollars, or by imprisonment in jail or house of correction for not more than two and one-half years or in the state prison for not more than five years, or both. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2006 5:05 PM To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics; Law & Religion issues for Law Academics Subject: Re: Catholic Charities Issue Sorry if I missed it, but has anyone yet posted any reliable information about what it is, exactly, that Massachusetts will deny Catholic Charities if CC does not agree to facilitate adoptions to gays and lesbians? Without a "license," what freedom does CC stand to lose, and how will it affect CC's religious exercise? (I assume, for instance, that the Church will still be permitted to inform prospective parents about the availability of particular children in need of a home.) I did a quick search of Massachusetts statutory law but didn't find anything. I'm finding it increasingly difficult to understand this case and to evaluate both the legal claims and the arguments for and against a permissive accommodation without knowing these basic facts about the operation of the law and the effect on CC's religious liberty. Thanks in advance for any inforrmation. -------------- Original message ---------------------- From: "Lupu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Perhaps there is a fearful symmetry between 1) the Catholic > Church's position on same-sex marriage (i.e., we don't want the > state to give its imprimatur to such arrangements, even though the > arrangements will not be imposed coercively on the church -- the > church can still refuse to perform or recognize same-sex marriage, > on religious grounds, whether or not the law recognizes it) , and 2) > the state' s position on Catholic Charities participation in the > adoption process (i.e, we don't want the Church to give its > imprimatur to discrimination against gay and lesbian couples in the > adoption process, even though the Church's policy will not be > imposed coercively on other adoption agencies, public or private). > In both cases, one side is convinced that the other side is morally > obtuse, and hopes to influence or change that moral obtuseness > whether or not it can satisfy its own goals despite the moral > obtuseness of others. (If the conflict were about inter-racial > marriage -- a church that opposed state recognition, versus a state > that opposed a church's hostility to such marriage, as manifested in > its adoption protocols -- this kind of oppositional symmetry would be > obvious. And we all would react differently, because the ground in > that fight is no longer contested, as this one is now, but may not be > 20 years from now.) Does the fact that the state has formal power > over the Church (it can de-license its adoption agency status) > destroy this symmetry? The Church has (informal) power over the > state -- it can strongly influence its adherents to resist and oppose > state policy. _______________________________________________ To post, send message to Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/religionlaw Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private. Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the messages to others. _______________________________________________ To post, send message to Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/religionlaw Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private. Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the messages to others.
