The Easter bunny goes to court

The Children’s Aid Society of Hamilton is being taken to court over a decision to remove two young children from a foster home. The decision to remove those children was allegedly made because the foster parents refused to pro-actively affirm the notion that the Easter Bunny is real.

John Carpay from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms is taking on the case. “What’s important here is that if you’ve got foster parents who are providing a loving, caring home, and the kids are clothed and fed and given attention and affection, then it’s pretty scary when a social worker says that ‘because you’re not going to pro-actively teach the kids what I want you to teach them, we’re going to close down your foster home.’” Carpay says a decision like this can lead to a very slippery slope in terms of legal precedent. “If there’s (an) insistence on the Easter Bunny being real, and yet there’s no insistence on saying that the resurrection of Christ is real, you do see an ideological aggressiveness that’s there, and it has to be fought and resisted.”

Carpay says the foster parents aren’t looking for any kind of damages; they simply want a court to rule that the Children’s Aid Society made a mistake.

Editor’s note: We have received messages from foster parents in our Reformed circles who have a wonderful relationship with the Hamilton Children’s Aid Society. Please note that until the Hamilton CAS can respond to these allegations in court, we are only able to report on the information made available at this point. We pray for a resolution to this case that will both support the rights of Christian foster parents and protect children in care. May many Christian families continue to have the opportunity to show the love of God to children and families that are hurting in our communities.