Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed a religious freedom bill into law today protecting the pro-life values of Hoosiers who don’t want to be forced to participate in abortions. Pence signed into law Indiana’s historic Religious Freedom Restoration Act, enabling new protections for pro-life persons, businesses and ministries from being forced to support abortion.
“Today I signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, because I support the freedom of religion for every Hoosier of every faith,” he said.
“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.”
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“One need look no further than the recent litigation concerning the Affordable Care Act. A private business and our own University of Notre Dame had to file lawsuits challenging provisions that required them to offer insurance coverage in violation of their religious views,” he added. “Last year the Supreme Court of the United States upheld religious liberty in the Hobby Lobby case based on the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, but that act does not apply to individual states or local government action.”
Indiana Right to Life’s President Mike Fichter attended the bill signing ceremony as Governor Pence signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), SB 101, into law. The pro-life group, in an email to LifeNews.com, applauded the governor.
“Indiana’s pro-life community is grateful to Gov. Mike Pence for signing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law. We are also thankful to the legislature for passing this bill by large margins in both chambers. This bill will give pro-lifers a necessary legal recourse if they are pressured to support abortion against their deeply-held religious beliefs.
“Religious freedom is increasingly under attack in our nation. We saw Hobby Lobby win its case against the federal government’s Obamacare mandate to provide abortion-causing drugs because of a defense hinging on federal RFRA law.
“Indiana’s new religious freedom law is modeled after federal law introduced by Democrat Chuck Schumer and signed by Democrat Bill Clinton in 1993. Nineteen other states have RFRA laws on their books. Indiana legislators are wise to ensure religious beliefs will get due consideration in court, should Hoosiers be forced to act against their faith. RFRA is an important bill to protect the religious freedom of Hoosiers who believe the right to life comes from God, not government.”
