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

votes
Wyoming Purges Nearly 30% of Its Voters from Registration Rolls
It is not uncommon for a state to clean out its voter rolls every couple of years -- especially to r...
27 March, 2024
-
1 min read
ballot box
The Next Big Win in Better Election Reform Could Come Where Voters Least Expect
Idaho isn't a state that gets much attention when people talk about politics in the US. However, this could change in 2024 if Idahoans for Open Primaries and their allies are successful with their proposed initiative....
21 March, 2024
-
3 min read
Courts
Why Do We Accept Partisanship in Judicial Elections?
The AP headline reads, "Ohio primary: Open seat on state supreme court could flip partisan control." This immediately should raise a red flag for voters, and not because of who may benefit but over a question too often ignored....
19 March, 2024
-
9 min read
Nick Troiano
Virtual Discussion: The Primary Solution with Unite America's Nick Troiano
In the latest virtual discussion from Open Primaries, the group's president, John Opdycke, sat down ...
19 March, 2024
-
1 min read
Sinema
Sinema's Exit Could Be Bad News for Democrats -- Here's Why
To many, the 2024 presidential primary has been like the movie Titanic - overly long and ending in a disaster we all saw coming from the start. After months of campaigning and five televised primary debates, Americans are now faced with a rematch between two candidates polling shows a majority of them didn’t want....
19 March, 2024
-
7 min read