re: #281 HappyWarrior

Thanks. But yeah, this kind of shit just sets some dangerous precedents. Hell in Idaho, I actually read about legislation that was introduced that would allow firefighters, cops, and doctors to deny help and aid to LGBT people if they deem LGBT behavior sinful. And then there are the so called conscience oaths that allow pharmacists to deny birth coverage to unwed and young women if their religious beliefs don’t believe in birth control. Now call me naive but I think if your religious beliefs conflict with secular society’s needs, you shouldn’t be involved in something. No one is saying these people have to accept homosexuality isn’t a sin but they do have to accept that homosexuals are human beings and they refuse to do that.

Link please. Because subsection 3 of the law that this bill would have amended specifically grants the State the right to override religious objections to providing either emergency medical treatment or enforcement of the law.

(3) Government may substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion only if it demonstrates that application of the burden to the person is both:
(a) Essential to further a compelling governmental interest;
(b) The least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.

In fact, the only thing this bill actually did was make a change to subsection 4.

(4) A person whose religious exercise of religion is burdened in violation of this section may assert that violation as a claim or defense in a judicial proceeding and obtain appropriate relief against a government or against any person relying upon any government action, enactment or law that burdens a person’s exercise of religion. A party who prevails in any action to enforce this chapter against a government shall recover attorney’s fees and costs.

The bolded parts are the changes to subsection 4.

In no way did this bill allow for any individual or organization to refuse emergency medical care or law enforcement responsibilities.

That said, it was still a blatant attempt to shield religious based bigotry from anti-discrimination laws and deserved to die the death that it did.