Brighton council halts gay foster case

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Brighton and Hove council has halted the fostering of a ten-year-old boy by a male gay couple.

His Catholic mother, who was unable to look after him, planned to take legal action over the case, saying the child could be “encouraged” into a lifestyle which is against her beliefs.

The council has now told her it is reviewing the decision after her lawyer said it had an obligation to place the boy with foster parents of the same faith.

The Brighton woman, who cannot be named, suffered a mental breakdown a year ago, reportedly the result of an abusive marriage.

Her son has been in care for months but was due to begin living with the male couple at the hotel they run in June as a permanent placement.

She told the Daily Mail last night: “I am so happy and relieved. So is my son. Our religion is very important to us.”

At the time, a friend of the woman said: “She knows she is unwell and cannot cope with looking after him. All she wants is for him to be raised in a regular family atmosphere, by a man and a woman.

“She would prefer a Catholic couple, but if that is not possible, at least a heterosexual one. But social services have given her no choice. She cannot understand how he can be looked after by two men she’s never met.

“Her belief is that they could encourage him into a lifestyle that is against her religious beliefs.”

In April, a family launched a legal battle after a court decision ruled two brothers aged six and nine should be adopted by a gay couple.

The boys were taken into care reportedly after their mother allowed them to have contact with their father, who she alleged beat her.

Their grandmother said: “Our grandsons are being forcibly taken from a family who want them dearly. We are worried they will be indoctrinated into a different lifestyle. This is social engineering by the state.”

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