Utah Judge orders baby removed from lesbian couple April Hoagland and Beckie Pierce

A Utah judge has ordered a baby girl be taken away from lesbian foster parents within a week and instead placed with a heterosexual couple, claiming the child would be better off.

April Hoagland and Beckie Pierce said they are "shattered" by the ruling made by Judge Scott Johansen on Tuesday.

They are part of a group of same-sex married couples who were allowed to become foster parents in Utah after a ruling by the US Supreme Court last year that made same-sex marriage legal across the country.

April told KUTV: "We've been told to care for this child like a mother would, and I am her mother I mean that's who she knows.

"It's not fair and it's not right. It just hurts me really bad because I haven't done anything wrong.

"I was kind of caught of guard, because I didn't anything like that would happen anymore."

The couple told the Salt Lake City TV station the judge told them that research indicated children who are raised in same-sex parent homes do not do as well as children who are raised by heterosexual couples.

But they argue the baby girl has thrived since arriving in their home three months ago and the biological mother of the child wants her to remain part of their family.

They have said they believe the judge was imposing his religious beliefs as part of the ruling. They are already raising Beckie's two children, aged 12 and 14.

Their plight has drawn the attention of Democratic Presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, who tweeted: "Being a good parent has nothing to do with sexual orientation - thousands of families prove that."

State child welfare officials are reviewing the order.

Ashley Sumner, a spokeswoman for the Utah Division of Child and Family Services, said the order had raised conces. She added the agency was no aware of any issues with the couple's performance as foster parents.

The couple plan to fight the ruling.