Apples And Oranges

That is what the press is doing when they say that nineteen other states have religious freedom laws. Yes nineteen states do have religious freedom laws but they are very different from Indiana’s law. There is a good article analyzing the laws on the website IN Advance,

The Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act – An Analysis of Its Controversy

Does IRFRA resemble its federal counterpart?
The short answer here is no.
[…]
What is clear is that Indiana has not copied the federal legislation or those passed by other states, but has instead added more expansive language as seen below. The IRFRA adds several clauses which rightly give pause to the endless possibilities of using religion and religious freedom as a sword and a shield.
He goes on to write,
What makes this law new and different is its application to disputes between private citizens. That is not to say that such laws could not be used in private matters (in fact, Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas all have similar prvisions [sic]). Indiana’s version of the law, though, goes the extra mile to ensure the matter could remain between private individuals. It is the only one I have seen where the State can explicitly intervene at its discretion.

This is the biggie; this is what makes it so different from all the other states and the federal law. Listen to what he says in the ABC video…


World News Videos | US News Videos

An ABC News article points out that,

A federal version of the religious freedom law was enacted in 1993 but dozens of states have passed their own versions since then, including one passed unanimously in Illinois when President Barack Obama was a state senator. Illinois added specific protection from discrimination based on sexual orientation several years after passing its version of the law.

I also fault the news organizations for not challenging the fact about the other state laws and the federal being the same as Indiana’s law. The press blindly parrots the statements of the governor’s office when they say the laws are the same.

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News Flash...

Connecticut To Become First State To Boycott Indiana Over LGBT Discrimination Law
Huffington Post
By Jennifer Bendery
Posted: 03/30/2015

WASHINGTON -- Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy (D) will sign an executive order on Monday barring state-funded travel to Indiana because of the state's new law that could allow businesses to turn away gay and lesbian customers for religious reasons
[…]
Malloy's move would make Connecticut the first state to boycott Indiana over its Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which Gov. Mike Pence (R) quietly signed into law last week. The law allows businesses in the state to cite religious beliefs as a legal defense. Opponents fear it offers legal protection for businesses to refuse service to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

GO Connecticut!!!!