A law proposed in the Tennessee legislature has sparked protest on both sides – on both the local and national levels – regarding religious freedom versus potential discrimination.

Oak Ridge Representative John Ragan recently filed a bill that would permit organizations to decline to let prospective parents adopt if the adoption ran counter to the organization’s religious beliefs.

Activists say it would allow discrimination against same-sex couples.

A representative of the Tennessee Equality Project decried the bill, saying it not only hurts same-sex couples looking to adopt, but could prevent people of different faiths – or of no faith – from being able to adopt a child.

Ragan said if the bill becomes law, it would not prevent children from being adopted; it will, however, permit religious-based adoption agencies to keep working in the state.

“It’s actually a benefit to the state to have these agencies performing this operation,” he said. “It makes sense for the state to say, ‘We will protect your religious freedom and let you continue to do this,’” he said.

One experts believes the law will probably measure up to constitutionality standards. Professor Stewart Harris of Lincoln Memorial University in Claiborne County noted the court has demonstrated “a great deal of willingness to protect religious freedom in the recent past… perhaps to the exclusion of equality.”

Ragan acknowledged while this law could allow discrimination, he said that’s not necessarily a bad thing. He said it’s evident certain organizations’ religious beliefs “are, by definition, discriminatory.” However, “adding another hurdle to these kids getting loving, stable homes is just another problem.”