ARIZONA: Alliance Defending Freedom Pens Op-Ed Defending Hate Bill

The Arizona Republic has published an op-ed from Alliance Defending Freedom, the co-authors of  the bill that would legalize anti-gay discrimination. It begins:

Opponents of the proposed amendment to Arizona’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act are putting the people of Arizona in a high-risk disaster zone when it comes to their First Amendment freedoms. In America, we live by the basic principle that you don’t forfeit your religious freedom just because you step outside the four walls of your home. Congress passed the federal RFRA, the legislation after which the Arizona RFRA is modeled, for that very purpose. But the federal RFRA only applies to the federal government, and thus, a number of states, including Arizona, enacted their own versions to ensure this religious protection for their citizens.

Arizona’s RFRA, as it currently stands, does not contain the necessary specificity regarding who can use RFRA for protection if the government discriminates against them because of their religious faith. Contrary to the voices that oppose protecting religious freedom for all Arizonans, Senate Bill 1062 and House Bill 2153, which were approved last week, will not allow people to do “whatever they want” in the name of religion. The use of the amended RFRA will only come into play when the government’s law inhibits someone from freely acting in accordance with his or her faith, as has always been the case. And even then, sincerely held religious beliefs will continue to be balanced against state interests. So, Arizona will always be able to make certain things — like murder — crimes even if someone says that his religious beliefs require him to kill someone.