Indiana Governor Mike Pence (Photo : Twitter)
Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed the controversial "religious freedom" bill on Thursday. The law would allow businesses as well as individuals to deny amenities to gays on religious grounds.
Indystar reports that Pence said at a news conference that the law was not signed to serve as a consolation prize for the conservative groups who were not able to pass a bill last year to add an amendment to the state's constitution banning same-sex marriage.
Pence said that there is a lot of misunderstanding about the religious freedom law. "This has never undermined anti-discrimination laws," he added.
The supporters of the said bill say that the newly-signed law will keep the government from coercing business owners to act in such ways that are against their religious beliefs. The opposing side, however, said that it is rather discriminatory.
In reference to Reuters, Pence said in a statement after signing the bill: "The Constitution of the United States and the Indiana Constitution both provide strong recognition of the freedom of religion but today, many people of faith feel their religious liberty is under attack by government action."
Moreover, experts said that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act establishes a standard that will allow people of all faiths to bring religious freedom claims.
The law caused concerned groups to worry that this might be used by businesses who do not want to provide services for the LGBTQ community such as weddings-despite it being legal in Indiana last year after its appeal in the court.
