Because South Carolina law allows faith-based foster care agencies to not place children in homes that violate their religious or moral beliefs, such as homes headed by a homosexual or gay couple, the attorney general of California, Xavier Becerra, has ordered all state-funded or sponsored travel to South Carolina to stop on April 15.
In an April 2 tweet, Becerra said, "South Carolina recently enacted a law allowing child-placing agencies to discriminate against prospective parents. We stand strongly against any form of discrimination, so, effective April 15, California will restrict state-funded travel to South Carolina."
The law in question is H-4950, which was enacted on July 5, 2018. In that law there is a provision that allows faith-based child-placing agencies to not place children in homes that violate their religious or moral beliefs.
Given that a child has a natural right to a mother and a father, many foster agencies choose to place children in normal, heterosexual homes. However, the law does not mention sexual orientation specifically.
The California bar on state-funded travel was enacted in 2017. It "prohibits state-funded and state-sponsored travel to states with laws that authorize or require discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression," according to Becerra's office.
According to CNBC, California has banned state-funded travel to nine other states. These are Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas.
In reaction to Becerra, Brian Symmes, the spokesman for South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R), tweeted, "En route to EMD headquarters to figure out if the governor needs to declare a state of emergency. How will South Carolina recover?"
