Indiana's controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act would not be changing, state Gov. Mike Pence said today during an exclusive interview on ABC's "This Week."
Pence said that the issue had been turned into "shameless rhetoric" and that the law is about strengthening the foundation of First Amendment rights rather than discrimination. He did not answer repeated questions about whether the law would allow business owners to discriminate against gay or lesbian individuals.
Pence, a Republican, signed the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act into Indiana law Thursday. The law intends to prevent the government from infringing on individual’s religious beliefs, Pence said, but opponents say the law allows business owners to use religion as a reason to legally discriminate against members of the LGBT community.
A federal version of the religious freedom law was enacted in 1993 but dozens of states have passed their own versions since then, including one passed unanimously in Illinois when President Barack Obama was a state senator.
Pence touted bipartisan support for the law, saying that President Obama and Democratic leaders like Nancy Pelosi supported similar legislation. He said the issue was being misrepresented by the media in a news conference after the closed bill-signing ceremony.
Illinois added specific protection from discrimination based on sexual orientation several years after passing the religious freedom law. Pence told the Indianapolis Star this specific legal protection is “not on his agenda” for Indiana residents.
Pence said today that he would look at a bill to clarify the law's intent if one reaches him.
The law gained national attention quickly after it was signed when the NCAA, which is based in Indianapolis, released a statement expressing concern that the law would negatively impact athletes and visitors in town for the Final Four games of its men's basketball tournament. Several businesses, including Yelp, threatened to take their business away from the state.
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