From the National Catholic Register:

Catholic leaders in Illinois are scrambling for a last-minute fix to prevent a showdown between the state and Catholic Charities of Illinois.

They want lawmakers to amend the state’s civil-union bill, set to take effect June 1, in order to assure that child welfare agencies such as Catholic Charities can continue turning down applications from cohabiting couples, whether homosexual or heterosexual.

“We want to see legislative action occur quickly so we can preserve our adoption and foster-care services for the thousands of children and families we serve,” said Carolyn Matheson, director of advancement for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Peoria. “The spin is that we’re anti-gay, but that’s not true. We’re against cohabitation, regardless of sexual orientation, which is in keeping with Catholic teaching. We’re not denying anybody the right to adopt or serve as foster parents, but we’re not going to process such applications ourselves.”