A Catholic couple in Indiana has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hold the state accountable for removing their son from their home because they wouldn't identify him as a girl. I'm privileged to speak with their attorney, Josh Hersberger, today on "I'm Glad You Said That".
Josh is the lead counsel on the case and works with our sister organization, the Indiana Family Institute.
In M.C. and J.C. v. Indiana Department of Child Services, Indiana investigated Mary and Jeremy Cox because they would not refer to their son using pronouns and a name inconsistent with his biological sex. State courts allowed Indiana to keep the child from their home because of their disagreement with their child—motivated by their religious beliefs—about human sexuality. With the help of Becket and Hershberger, the Coxes filed their reply brief at the Supreme Court, asking the Justices to take their case.
Mary and Jeremy Cox are a faithful Catholic couple living in Indiana. In 2019, their son informed them that he identified as a girl. Because of their religious belief that God creates human beings with immutable sex—male or female—they could not refer to him using pronouns and a name inconsistent with his biology. The Coxes also believed that he needed help for underlying mental health concerns, including an eating disorder.
To address both issues, they provided therapeutic care for their child’s gender dysphoria and scheduled appointments with a specialist to help him with the eating disorder. In 2021, Indiana began investigating the Coxes after a report that they were not referring to their child by his preferred gender identity. Indiana then removed the teen from the parents’ custody and placed him in a home that would affirm his preferred identity.
I'll chat with Josh about why this case is so important for parental rights today in America.
Hope you can join us.