All Americans receive the same rights, and denying any citizen for whatever reason, political or religious, is unconstitutional, wrong and un-American. Fellow Americans should not view the (fake) “Religious Freedom” laws like Indiana’s as an anti-gay law, but as a tactic to divide citizens on issues. But when you remove the conflicts, fluff and rhetoric from this national discussion, it boils down to Religious Bigoted Extremists vs. American Citizens, period! I will stand up for any American who is being denied their rights. I do not care what gender, what sexual preference, what religion, what color, what school, what job, what political party, whatever! You’re a citizen. If you want to get something done, stand together as citizens first. That’s all that should matter.
Jude Smallwood, The Acreage
President Bill Clinton signed this law into effect. it is essentially the same law.
42 U.S. Code § 2000bb – Congressional findings and declaration of purposes
1) the framers of the Constitution, recognizing free exercise of religion as an unalienable right, secured its protection in the First Amendment to the Constitution;
(b) Purposes
The purposes of this chapter are—
(1) to restore the compelling interest test as set forth in Sherbert v. Verner, 374 U.S. 398 (1963) and Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972) and to guarantee its application in all cases where free exercise of religion is substantially burdened; and
(2) to provide a claim or defense to persons whose religious exercise is substantially burdened by government.