Oregon settles with Christian mother denied foster care adoption over gender identity beliefs
Oregon Mother Granted Permission to Continue Adoption Process After Court Ruling
Portland, Ore. – Jessica Bates, a widowed mother of five who has been attempting to adopt a child from the state’s foster system, has received a court‑approved settlement that allows her to continue her adoption efforts. The decision follows a 2025 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that she can begin the process of adopting siblings from foster care without violating her religious convictions.
Bates began pursuing formal adoption in March 2022 through Oregon’s foster‑care training program. In September of that year, her application was denied on the basis of her Christian beliefs, according to the Alliance Defending Freedom, the organization that has represented her. Bates said that state officials required her to affirm a child’s gender identity, including using preferred pronouns and supporting gender‑affirming medical care, duties she argued conflicted with her faith.
“I absolutely would not be willing to do that,” Bates told Fox News Digital. “And that was kind of the straw that broke the camel's back.” She added, “I told them that gender affirmation for a child who believes he or she is a different gender than what they were born with is “child abuse,” and society has yet to learn the full effects of gender transition hormones.”
The dispute escalated when Bates’s case was taken up by the federal court. In March 2023 the Alliance filed a complaint on her behalf, and after a district‑court ruling in her favor, the matter was appealed to the Ninth Circuit. In July 2025 the appellate court issued a decision allowing Bates to initiate the adoption of siblings from foster care while the lawsuit against state officials proceeds.
“This settlement will allow me to continue in the process of looking to foster, to adopt,” Bates said. “I plan to do that even though my family life has changed a lot in the last four years. I became a grandmother. My oldest son’s married, and they’re living with me because the cost of living and everything is so high right now, but I would like to continue the process and this case allows me to do that.”
Bates has been a resident of Oregon since the death of her husband in a 2017 head‑on collision, and she has spoken about the grief her children have endured. “And to know there are kids out here, at the same time, while I’m seeing my kids go through life without their dad,” she said. “And to know there are kids out there that don’t have a parent, either want mom or dad that is able to invest in them and love them.”
While the Oregon Department of Human Services has not yet responded to requests for comment, the court’s ruling represents a significant development for Bates and others who face similar religious objections in the adoption process. The settlement does not resolve the underlying legal dispute over state requirements, but it does enable Bates to pursue the adoption she has long sought.