Religious Liberty Under Attack! Support Governor Pence

The media and Hollywood elites are crying “foul” at Indiana Governor Mike Pence over a recent bill that protects religious freedom in the state. The Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act provides a legal standard to evaluate religious freedom claims. The bill provides a balancing test that requires the government to prove that any government action that would “substantially burden” a persons free exercise of religious exercise is be based on the government’s “compelling interest” in the prohibiting those actions, and the government actions must be the least restrictive means necessary to further those “compelling interests.” The bill’s language tracks will the 1993 federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, signed into law by President Clinton after a 97-3 vote in the Senate. In fact, along with the federal government, thirty-one states already follow the same balancing test.

Critics argue that the bill was simply meant to discriminate against homosexuals. While it is true that many Christians in the Indiana wedding industry could argue that the bill protects them from having to provide services to homosexual “weddings”, the bill is not an iron-clad protection. The courts would still have to apply the balancing test to determine whether the bill would protect the religious freedoms of the wedding service providers.

Celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Ashton Kutcher have taken to social media to blast Governor Mike Pence. The City of San Francisco has banned any government-funded travel to the state. Some major companies, like Angies List, have canceled future development in the state because of the bill. During an interview with Governor Pence over the weekend, George Stephanopolous, of ABC’s “This Week”, insisted that the Governor Pence confirm whether he agreed with discrimination against “gays.”

But fair-minded individuals can recognize that the outrage over the bill is unfounded. In an op-ed piece for a major Indiana newspaper, Indiana law professor Daniel Conkie, who supports gay rights, came out in support of the bill. “The proposed Indiana RFRA would provide valuable guidance to Indiana courts, directing them to balance religious freedom against competing interests under the same legal standard that applies throughout most of the land. It is anything but a ‘license to discriminate,’ and it should not be mischaracterized or dismissed on that basis.”

TAKE ACTION:

Support Governor Mike Pence in his attempt to protect the religious freedoms of Indiana citizens. Contact Governor Pence today and urge him to continue his support of his citizens’ religious freedoms.

• CALL: 317-232-4567
• CONTACT ONLINE: Click here.