South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster issued an executive order requiring the Department of Social Services to let an Upstate foster car placing agency retain its foster care licensing.
Miracle Hill had come under scrutiny after potential foster parents were steered away from the organization based on their faith. They say they were told Miracle Hill only selected those who share its Christian beliefs.
DSS had expressed it wanted Miracle Hill to begin accepting non-Christian foster families or lose state support. McMaster says DSS needs to protect religious freedoms and he is ordering them to allow Miracle Hill and other faith based organizations to continue taking part in foster care programs.
Read the full text of the executive order here.
In a letter to Miracle Hill, McMaster said Miracle Hill served "one of our most vulnerable populations" and he welcomed "faith-based organizations' leadership in addressing these critical needs."
McMaster also ordered other cabinet agencies to review their processes on how they handle similar groups.
