A Mississippi House Bill says that businesses, public workers and social workers cannot be fired for denying services based on the belief that marriage is strictly between a man and a woman.
According to the Washington Post, House Bill 1523 would also allow, for
example, a doctor to refuse to provide sex-reassignment surgery,
business owners to refuse service to customers based on their religious
beliefs, and families to raise adoptive children according to their
beliefs.
Under the bill, the government would not be allowed to tax, fine or
fire any person, including employers, landlords, or rental companies,
for acting on their religious beliefs.
As of Wednesday, the bill had passed the House and Senate and now must
return to the House to resolve “differences.” However, the bill is
expected to once again pass there before going to Gov. Phil Bryant.
The governor has not said whether he will sign the bill.
“I think it gives some people, as I appreciate it, the right to be able
to say ‘That’s against my religious beliefs and I don’t need to carry
out that particular task,'” he told at TV news station.
Supporters of the bill say it will protect the rights of those who
disagree with the Supreme Court ruling that guaranteed the right to
same-sex marriage.
“This is presenting a solution to the crossroads we find ourselves in
today as a result of Obergefell v. Hodges,” Republican State Sen.
Jenifer Branning said as she presented the bill to the Senate, according
to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. “Ministers, florists, photographers,
people along those lines — this bill would allow them to refuse to
provide marriage-related business services without fear of government
discrimination.”
But Ben Needham, director of Human Rights Campaign’s Project One
America, said the bill is “probably the worst religious freedom bill to
date.”
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