New Indiana “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” Becomes Law
Posted by Matt Yonke (March 26, 2015 at 4:02 pm)
Indiana Governor Mike Pence just signed a new religious freedom bill into law, defending the right of people of faith to not be forced to act against their deeply held convictions.
The new measure, called the “Religious Freedom Restoration Act”, is a state version of the federal law of the same name signed into law under President Clinton. In fact, President Obama himself voted for a similar law as a state senator in Illinois.
Indiana joins over 19 states and the federal government in enacting legislation to protect their citizens’ rights of conscience. The Stand Up for Religious Freedom Coalition applauds Governor Pence for taking this bold step to protect the religious freedom of the Hoosier state!
You hear that sound? It’s a sucking sound of all the economic tourism dollars leaving the state. Good luck with your new law.
March 29th, 2015 at 4:18 pm
Pro lifeers take vacations too Les and thanks for your support for the unborn.
March 30th, 2015 at 10:58 am
Money trumps Morality
March 30th, 2015 at 9:05 pm
The claim that Indiana’s law is like the other 19 states is incorrect. There are several important differences in the Indiana bill but the most striking is Section 9. Under that section, a “person” (which under the law includes not only an individual but also any organization, partnership, LLC, corporation, company, firm, church, religious society, or other entity) whose “exercise of religion has been substantially burdened, or is likely to be substantially burdened” can use the law as “a claim or defense… regardless of whether the state or any other governmental entity is a party to the proceeding.”
Every other Religious Freedom Restoration Act applies to disputes between a person or entity and a government. Indiana’s is the only law that explicitly applies to disputes between private citizens.* This means it could be used as a cudgel by corporations to justify discrimination against individuals that might otherwise be protected under law.
Beyond the differences between the Indiana law and other states, many of the other states that have a RFRA also have a law that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. Indiana does not have one.
When you mentioned that it is similar to the federal, that is also a farce. The federal law doesn’t allow for private citizen against private citizen attacks, period. Thirty law professors(http://web.law.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/microsites/gender-sexuality/law_professors_letter_on_indiana_rfra.pdf) who are experts in religious freedom wrote in February that the Indiana law does not “mirror the language of the federal RFRA” and “will… create confusion, conflict, and a wave of litigation that will threaten the clarity of religious liberty rights in Indiana while undermining the state’s ability to enforce other compelling interests.
April 1st, 2015 at 1:08 pm
As Christians it is are responsibility to make a stand against sodomites. God condemned these sins and as children of God we shall stand. You can not be both a Christian and a sodomite. This country is forgetting are true commands and shall now begin a recovery in Gods name.
April 2nd, 2015 at 11:48 am
we have the right to deny services on the bases of same sex marriage you have the right to get married this fight for equality needs to be for all we need to stop fighting agianst each other and start fighting for each other you have the right to get married and to have an amzing wedding but based on vlountary exchange and the free market we can deny your event not you there is a differnece hope this comment helps vlear the misconceptions about this bill so the LBGT and the christian community can start fighting for each other instead of agianst each other
April 6th, 2015 at 8:24 am