HaTTiP A juvenile court judge has ordered the removal of a foster child from a lesbian couple because they are gay, according to Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services.
The two women, April Hoagland and Beckie Peirce, were in court for a routine hearing Tuesday when 7th District Juvenile Judge Scott Johansen announced he was ordering that the 1-year-old girl they have been caring for over the past three months be removed from their home within a week, DCFS director Brent Platt said Wednesday.
According to the judge, the child would be better off with a heterosexual couple.
“The bottom line is we have to comply with that order,” Platt said, noting that the division is considering contesting the order, if possible. “Our job is to protect these kids and to do what’s right for them. So if we do have concerns and if we can and feel like it’s appropriate to challenge the order, we will.”
