GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Bethany Christian Services, one of the nation's largest adoption agencies, will now start allowing LGBTQ parents to adopt.
NBC affiliate WOOD reports the announcement of a new inclusivity policy came Monday from the Michigan-based organization, which as a faith-based organization previously did not adopt out to same-sex couples.
"It's going to open up a world for kids who normally wouldn’t have a home, so it's just fantastic," said April DeBoer-Rowse, who was at the center of the landmark case that led the U.S. Supreme Court to rule same-sex marriage was legal.
The case started because her adopted children couldn’t legally be tied to both parents.
"We did get met with a lot of agencies who would not work with us because we were a lesbian couple," she said.
The policy approved by Bethany's Board of Directors does not include the term "LGBTQ," but rather says Bethany will "implement a nationwide policy of inclusivity in order to serve all families."
The policy also acknowledges doctrinal differences among Christian churches, though again, it does not specifically list same-sex marriage as one of those issues.