Massachusetts high court says foster parents claiming religious reasons still can't spank children

(The Christian Science Monitor) When Melanie and Greg Magazu decided to open their family to foster children, they say the social worker who inspected their home was impressed. The couple had two young daughters, and Melanie Magazu used to be in foster care herself.

But the Fitchburg, Massachusetts, couple say the situation changed when they acknowledged that they spank their kids as a form of discipline, in line with their interpretation of the Bible. They said they would refrain from using corporal punishment on foster children in their care but refused to stop spanking their own children. The Department of Children and Families rejected their application in 2013, citing “clinical policy” to keep foster children out of homes where corporal punishment was used. Claiming religious discrimination, the couple sued.

The state’s highest court unanimously ruled in favor of the agency Monday, prioritizing the state’s interest in protecting children in foster care.