Recent legislation recognizing same-sex couples in New York and Illinois has reignited the debate over gay adoption.

Many fear faith-based adoption agencies could lose federal funding if they refuse to allow adoption to same-sex couples.

The "Every Child Deserves a Family Act" was first introduced in the House 2009 in support of gay adoption. Now, more than 50 members of the Congress have signed on to the legislation.

The bill would deny funding and licensing to any agency that discriminates based on a couple's "sexual orientation, gender, or marital status."

For more on the "Every Child Deserves a Family Act," CBN News spoke with Chuck Donovan, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation's DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society.

Click play for his comments on how this bill could affect faith-based groups, as well as the impact of states continuing to legalize gay marriage.