Indiana Governor Mike Pence Signs Revised Religious Freedom Act

image
Published: 02 Apr, 2015
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

You Might Also Like

Why Mathematicians Love Ranked Choice Voting
Why Mathematicians Love Ranked Choice Voting
The Institute for Mathematics and Democracy (IMD) has released what may be the most comprehensive empirical study of ranked choice voting ever conducted. The 66-page report analyzes nearly 4,000 real-world ranked ballot elections, including some 2,000 political elections, and more than 60 million simulated ones to test how different voting methods perform....
11 Dec, 2025
-
4 min read
California flag
Quirk Silva’s Exit Sparks a High-Profile Orange County Clash, Where Independent Voters Control the Math
California’s 67th Assembly District stretches across parts of Orange and Los Angeles counties, connecting some of the region’s most dynamic and diverse suburban communities. It includes the entire cities of Cerritos, La Palma, Hawaiian Gardens, Artesia, Buena Park, and Cypress, as well as portions of Fullerton and Anaheim....
18 Dec, 2025
-
6 min read
Donald Trump
Trump Signs Order to Reclassify Cannabis to Schedule III
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Thursday that his administration will officially move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, a decision that marks the most significant change to U.S. drug policy since the early 1970s....
18 Dec, 2025
-
2 min read