Adoption Agency Agrees to Alter Policy

A lawsuit filed against an Orange County-based adoption agency was dropped Wednesday after the organization agreed it would not discriminate against gay and lesbian applicants, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California said.

Olive Crest Family Care and Adoption Agency, which contracts with Orange County to provide foster placement and adoption services, has revised its policy of giving preferential treatment to “nuclear families” -- that is, a husband, wife and children, ACLU Atty. Christine Sun said.

“We have been monitoring Olive Crest and they have seemed to end their discriminatory practices,” Sun said. “This was what our clients always wanted ... fair treatment for gay and lesbian couples.”

Officials at Olive Crest could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Previously, however, an attorney for Olive Crest denied wrongdoing and said the couple seeking to adopt voluntarily withdrew when there was a delay in the processing of all applicants.

The agency was sued in May 2003 by the ACLU on behalf of a San Diego couple who wanted to adopt a child with special needs. Jane Brooks, a family-law attorney, and Shannon Rose, a pediatrician, were assured that their sexual orientation would not be a problem and began the certification process, Sun said.

Several months later, she said, the women were dropped from the program when the agency changed its policy, “preferring to place children in nuclear families.”

California pursued its own legal action against the agency and reached a settlement in April, requiring that Olive Crest pay a fine and revise its policy.