{"data":{"id":"us-mt/42-7-202","jurisdiction":"us-mt","citation":"42-7-202","heading":"Discriminatory acts prohibited in adoption or foster care services.","body":"(1) The state government may not take a discriminatory action against a person that advertises, provides, or facilitates adoption or foster care services wholly or partially on the basis that the person:\n(a) has provided or declines to provide an adoption or foster care service or related service based on or in a manner consistent with the person's sincerely held religious belief; or\n(b) maintains policies and procedures in accordance with the person's sincerely held religious belief.\n(2) (a) Except as provided in subsection (2)(b), the state government may not take a discriminatory action against a person whom the state grants custody of a foster or adoptive child or who seeks from the state the custody of a foster or adoptive child wholly or partially on the basis that the person guides, instructs, or raises a child or intends to guide, instruct, or raise a child based on or in a manner consistent with the person's sincerely held religious belief.\n(b) The state government may consider whether a person shares the same religion or faith tradition as a foster or adoptive child when considering placement of the child in order to prioritize placement with a person of the same religion or faith tradition.","path":["TITLE 42. ADOPTION","CHAPTER 7. FEES AND PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES RELATED TO ADOPTION","Part 2. Prohibited Acts -- Discrimination"],"source_url":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0420/chapter_0070/part_0020/section_0020/0420-0070-0020-0020.html","current_through":"Montana Code Annotated 2025","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T04:55:19Z","sha256":"6c924add0209970189e0795acc42a5beaa825a357ed43880a879fb2f54543e67","source_id":"us-mt","stale":false,"prev":"us-mt/42-7-201","next":"us-mt/42-7-203"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}