logo

Indiana Governor Mike Pence Signs Revised Religious Freedom Act

image
Created: 02 April, 2015
Updated: 21 November, 2022
1 min read

It took just 7 days for Indiana Governor Mike Pence to cave to the social and moral pressure to revise the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).

“Over the past week this law has become a subject of great misunderstanding and controversy across our state and nation. However we got here, we are where we are, and it is important that our state take action to address the concerns that have been raised and move forward,” said Pence in a statement reported in the Washington Post Thursday evening.

The bill drew criticism nationwide, leading some lawmakers to ban the use of state money to travel to Indiana and some businesses to boycott sales in the state. Critics argued that by giving business owners the legal protection to deny service to someone if providing the service conflicts with their religious beliefs, the law opened the door to legal discrimination.

Read More: ‘Religious Freedom Laws': The Jim Crow Laws of the 21st Century

The revised bill clarifies that private businesses cannot use the RFRA to justify discrimination based on sexual orientation. Pence argues that the intention of the bill was never to allow discrimination and that the changes should calm these fears.

Photo: Charlie Nye, The Indianapolis Star

Latest articles

Voter
Independent Voters Are Many Things -- A Myth Isn't One of Them
Open Primaries continued its ongoing virtual discussion series Tuesday with a conversation on independent voters, who they are, and why we have a system that actively suppresses their voices at every level of elections and government....
08 May, 2024
-
2 min read
RFK Jr
RFK Jr Challenges Trump to Debate; Calls Out 'Fake Polls'
Independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy extended a challenge Tuesday to former President Donald Trump to debate him at the Libertarian National Convention at the end of May....
07 May, 2024
-
3 min read
South Dakota Capitol Building
South Dakota Open Primaries Submits 47K Signatures to Get Nonpartisan Primary Reform on the Ballot
One week after the Idahoans for Open Primaries coalition submitted roughly 30,000 more signatures than they needed to get a nonpartisan top-four primary system on the ballot, South Dakota Open Primaries met the required number of signatures in their own state to put a top-two system before voters....
07 May, 2024
-
4 min read