CV NEWS FEED // Legal analyst Andrea M. Picciotti-Bayer is sounding the alarm on the impact of gender ideology on religious freedom, warning that it’s increasingly preventing Christian families from fostering or adopting children.
Picciotti-Bayer, a Stanford-educated lawyer and mother of 10, previously served as the legal advisor for the Catholic Association, where she filed amicus briefs on religious freedom and free speech before federal courts and the U.S. Supreme Court. Her writing has been featured in prominent publications such as the Wall Street Journal and National Review, and she frequently provides expert commentary on networks like Fox News and Newsmax.
She currently serves as a legal analyst for EWTN and as the head of the Conscience Project, an organization dedicated to highlighting the stories of Americans whose religious liberty is threatened by progressive policies and government actions.
In an August 20 commentary National Catholic Register published, Picciotti-Bayer shared multiple alarming stories of potential parents not being permitted to adopt their foster kids due to their “religious beliefs.”
One notable case involves Jessica Bates, a widowed mother of five from Oregon who sought to adopt two children. During state certification training, Bates was told she was required to agree to “affirm” a child who might in the future express a “gender identity” different from their biological sex.
According to a February 7 commentary by Picciotti-Bayer, Bates was told she must be willing to use her child’s “preferred pronouns,” take the child to pride parades, as well as permit them to undergo medical intervention such as puberty blockers and hormone shots if the child expressed a desire for them.
When Bates informed the government officials that such an action conflicted with her Christian beliefs, she was deemed “ineligible to adopt.”
Represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, she filed a lawsuit against the state, claiming a violation of her First Amendment rights. While she lost in district court, Bates’s appeal is currently under review by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
According to Picciotti-Bayer, Bates’s story is unfortunately “not an outlier” under the “gender-obsessed Biden-Harris administration.”
The analyst shared the story of Nancy Harmon, a mother from St. Peter, Minnesota, who faced similar challenges. After fostering three sisters for two years, Nancy and her husband Jay were told they were not “the right fit” to adopt the girls due to their religious beliefs. Despite these challenges, the Harmons were eventually allowed to adopt the sisters, thanks to a private therapist’s letter supporting their case.
The analyst warns that such cases reflect a broader trend of gender ideology forcing Christian families out of the foster care system, threatening both religious freedom and the well-being of children in need.
Picciotti-Bayer submitted an amicus brief in January in support of Bates and the Harmons and on behalf of all “former and prospective foster and adoptive families who are concerned that soon even more children in need will be kept from loving families whose only offense is their fidelity to traditional teaching.”
