A Catholic couple in Indiana is asking the Supreme Court to hold the state accountable for locking their child out of their home because he refused to use his chosen name and pronouns.
MC and JC v. Indiana Department of Children Services., Mary Cox and Jeremy Cox are appealing to the Supreme Court after being investigated by Indiana authorities for refusing to call their son a name that does not match his pronouns or biological sex.
Beckett is pursuing the lawsuit on behalf of the Coxes, who allege that a state court has allowed Indiana to prevent the child from living in the family home because the child’s religious beliefs prevent him from agreeing to the child’s gender identity. claims.
Notably, after completing its investigation, the state determined that the abuse allegations against Mary and Jeremy were unfounded, but maintained that disagreements over gender identity were distressing to the children.
Lori Windham, Beckett’s vice president and senior advisor, told FOX News Digital that no parent should ever have to endure what Mary and Jeremy were forced to go through.
“Even if the state finds there was no abuse or neglect, it is wrong and against the law to separate children from loving parents because of their religious beliefs,” she said. “The court should take up this case and make clear that other states cannot remove children based on ideological differences.”
In 2019, Mary and Jeremy’s son said she identifies as female, in line with the Catholic religious belief that God created humans with an unchanging gender, either male or female. I didn’t believe in calling Mary and Jeremy by their pronouns. The name does not match his biology.
Additionally, the Coxes believed their son was suffering from an underlying mental illness, including an eating disorder, and sought treatment for both.
But in 2021, Indiana authorities removed Cox from custody after they launched an investigation after reports they discovered the Coxes were not referring to their child by her preferred gender identity. She was placed in the care of a “gender-affirming” family. Despite unsubstantiated claims of abuse, they argued that the Coxes worsened the child’s eating disorder, even after the child was removed and placed in a transition-affirming home.
The Indiana Department of Children’s Services declined Fox News Digital’s request for comment, saying, “DCS does not comment on ongoing litigation.”
“This is what every parent fears,” Mary and Jeremy Cox said in a press release. “We loved our son and wanted to take care of him, but the state of Indiana robbed us of that opportunity by removing him from our home and forbidding us from talking to him about his gender. ”
“We hope that a judge will take up our case and protect other parents from having to endure a nightmare like ours,” they added.
When the case was first heard in trial court, Indiana authorities argued that the child “should be at home with her.” [ac]He limited the Coxes’ visitation to once a week and prohibited them from discussing their religious views on human sexuality and gender identity.
Although the court found the Coxes to be suitable parents, the removal of the children was upheld and later upheld by the Court of Appeals.
“If this can happen in Indiana, it can happen anywhere,” Windhamn said. “Separating children from their loving parents because of religious beliefs shared by millions of Americans is an outrage against the law, parental rights, and basic human decency. The Supreme Court has adopted this case. If we don’t, how many times will the same thing happen to other families?”
