Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed the "Religious Freedom Restoration Act" into law yesterday, which gives religious citizens and corporations freedom to break laws that they feel go against their religion.
The law creates a legal loophole for anyone who wishes to discriminate in the name of religion, allowing individuals and corporations to be free from following the laws everyone else must follow if they claim it would "burden" their religion. The bar for what constitutes a burden on religion has been set very low: The Supreme Court relied on the federal RFRA when ruling last year that Hobby Lobby corporation's so-called "free exercise of religion" was "significantly burdened" by the Obamacare's provision requiring medical insurance to include contraceptive coverage. Additional legal challenges make it clear that there's no "burden" too small to trigger a religious objection (including having to complete the incredibly brief EBSA 700 form to notify the IRS of a religious objection to contraception).
Organizations such as gaming convention Gen Con and $4 billion software company Salesforce are already threatening to move operations out of Indiana. "Today we are canceling all programs that require our customers/employees to travel to Indiana to face discrimination," Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff Tweeted.
RFRA laws are bad for business, women, LGBT rights, and true religious liberty.
There are 19 states have RFRA state laws in place. It may be coming to your state soon. Watch out!
FFRF thanks its Indiana membership who responded to FFRF's action alerts, including an appeal yesterday for the governor to veto the bill.