Children of the Immaculate Heart, a religious charity that helps women escape from sex trafficking, filed a lawsuit Nov. 19 seeking to end a state of California mandate that is leaving a rescue home for commercially sexually exploited teen girls empty while San Diego County experiences a child sex-trafficking crisis. In Children of the Immaculate Heart v. Kimberley Johnson, et al, the issue is whether religious caretaking organizations can serve victims of sex trafficking consistent with their faith.
The lawsuit demands that the state’s department of social services, which regulates California’s foster care system, answer for its ongoing refusal to issue Children of the Immaculate Heart a license to open the Refuge, a residential treatment home for sex-trafficked teen girls. Licensing officials have made it clear that they find the home’s Catholic identity “offensive” and that they disagree with the charity’s religious beliefs about sexual orientation and reproduction.
The Refuge has been sitting empty for over two years. Evidence shows that licensing officials are stonewalling the Refuge’s application to force them to either withdraw the application under economic duress or sacrifice its religious beliefs. Children of the Immaculate Heart currently spends $15K per month to maintain the Refuge and has spent nearly $600,000 total since 2015.
“Right now, a desperately needed rescue home for sex-trafficked girls sits empty because the government refuses to license a care provider with Catholic beliefs,” said Paul Jonna, senior counsel for the Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund. “Every child who is at risk of sex trafficking deserves a safe place with loving caretakers. Charitable agencies that help rescue children from sex trafficking should be protected, not excluded for their faith.”
Licensing officials have demanded that the home certifies that it will promote LGBTQ events, drive residents to get abortions, and inject children with transgender hormone medications. Children of the Immaculate Heart does not object to a child’s access to such programs, activities, or actions, but it objects to cooperating in them.
“Hundreds of teenage girls continue to be pimped out in our county every night,” said Grace Williams, the home’s founder and executive director, “yet the state of California considers prohibiting Children of the Immaculate Heart’s free exercise of religion and freedom of speech more important than helping these girls escape a living hell of being raped up to ten times a day.”
San Diego County district attorney Summer Stephan, the county probation department, and the county juvenile court all have endorsed Children of the Immaculate Heart. Based on probation and juvenile court estimates, hundreds of girls currently in California’s welfare system are being pimped and prostituted because they have nowhere to find housing, trauma-informed treatment, and safety.
The complaint was filed in state court in San Diego. Children of the Immaculate Heart is represented by the Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund, with the St. Thomas More Society serving as co-counsel. A hearing is expected within two weeks.
The above comes from a Nov. 19 release from the Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund.
This is what happens when the Left controls the culture……
Bohemond, I remember when Democrats were conservative and Republicans were liberal. It’s not the Left that is the problem. It is those that don’t believe in God, don’t pray to him, don’t go to church, and, don’t believe in natural law, because they have not been taught anything about it. They don’t believe that the genders are complimentary. I try to distinguish between these crazies and the center-liberals that truly believe that we should be our brother’s keeper.
This is government overreach.
The Prince of California is a demon, and he is mighty. Sound nuts to you? Read Daniel 10, especially :13. Things will not ever get better in California, which is why it is time to leave. Sure, pray for those in the State, but it will take a divine event, such as happened with the fall of the Kingdom of Persia, for there to be justice and peace and the elevation of God’s Word among Men.
Many think that California is metaphor for the United States. Perhaps that is true. Regardless, it is time to drop things there and leave.
Not everyone can leave California, but you are right about the prince of demons.
The two Catholic churches I frequent say the St. Michael prayer after the mass most often and have Eucharistic Adoration. Many of us also wear the St. Benedict medal attached to our Brown Scapulars and have them in parts of our houses. I have St. Benedict medals buried at the four corners of our property and ask his intercession against earthquakes and the evil ones.
Time to say a novena to St. Nicholas for the protection of children and young people.. It is unbelievably evil what the state is doing.
Remember the days of Catholic Gov. “Pat” Brown?? When California was a good and decent state– right before the horrible “hippie” era?? A real Catholic governor– and a Democrat, with traditional values, but a successful, pragmatic, progressive philosophy– in a good and decent state, with traditional Judeo-Christian morality! And next, conservative Republican Gov. Reagan– who also had traditional religious beliefs! Sadly, neither of them could stop the violent, evil “revolution” of the liberal-leftists and hippies, who continue their raging destructions, to this day! Look at all we have lost– in a short span of time!
If it is time to leave California, where should one go?
Mexico
Dear “Anne TE” and “mike m”: There are other areas where there remains yet a breathe of life. Take a look at MO, near the wonderful Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, or in OK with the Benedictines of Our Lady of Clear Creek Abbey, or in KS, with the SSPX at St. Mary’s (where an enormous Catholic Church to the Immaculata is soon to rise). And, there are new Catholic Traditional orders springing up, in Fairfield, PA, in Wyoming, in New York, and In FL to name only a few.
If you cannot leave, send your weekly or monthly offering to one of these, or to Fr. Illo at Star of the Sea parish in San Francisco. Options exist. Pray for St. Michael to intervene; it is up to him and to Mary and, above all, to Christ. California, as it stands, is gone. But the game is not over.