TEEN VIEW: Legislation is hurting more than protecting

Thursday afternoon was the moment that our Founding Fathers once again rose from their graves with feelings of utter disgust over the signing of Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

This Religious Freedom Restoration Act, meant to mimic another version passed in 1993 by Bill Clinton, is a law designed to protect religious rights. However, the twist that Republican Governor Mike Pence put on this piece of legislation is that it allows discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals by claiming that business owners can say that it is against their religious beliefs to serve them.

The difference between Clinton’s law and Pence’s law is that Clintons was written to protect. Clinton created the first Religious Freedom Restoration Act to protect Islamic people from discrimination in the work environment because of their religious commitment to daily prayers multiple times a day.

Pence’s legislation is hurting more than protecting. By discriminating against the LGBQT community, it proves that we, as a country, are backpedaling, moving further back than we ever should. Instead of learning from our mistakes, we may be in line to repeat them. This law takes us back to the days of African American discrimination when there had to be separate bathrooms, buses, and schools. Though this discrimination may not be racist, it is existent.

In a recent interview, Pence stated that this law was “intended as a message of inclusion and was interpreted as a message of exclusion.” Despite his claims, how could one not interpret it as a message of exclusion when this act puts a veil over those discriminating against individuals, and are hiding behind the phrase “religious liberty?”

Since when did religious rights overrule individual rights? We aren’t governed by a theocracy, so why must people be bound by one? To make people feel comfortable? If thats the case, it’s clearly not working. Not only is this law hurting the people of the LGBQT community, it is questioning the common sense of America. If state legislators wish to “coexist in harmony” (words of Pence), why are some laws created to protect one type of people and hurt the rest? Though it may not apply to me personally, it will apply to my family, friends and a generation as a whole. The only people that this act is helping are those who feel the need to impose their religious beliefs on others. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz truly believes that this law “is giving voice to millions of courageous conservatives”; however, that may not be the case.

This atrocious act did not begin it’s journey in Indiana. In fact, Indiana was the 13th state to join this heinous movement. Last December, I remember reading an article on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that was passed through the Michigan House of Representatives. That law prohibited the government from intervening if health-care workers refused service for the reason of protecting personal religious beliefs. That article seemed so outrageously ridiculous that I thought it was a hoax. Now that I realize the reality of the situation, it is horrifying. For there to be a law allowing people in the health-care industry to justify not helping another human being on the grounds of religion is unimaginable. By working in an industry dedicated to helping the wellness of others and striving to find the cure for cancer, I would think that there is a silent obligation and oath taken to save lives. When the law interferes with the nature of science and integrity of helping others, I can’t help but see the dark side of both political strategy and one’s dedication to religion.

Following the footsteps of Indiana, Alabama is now on the path to passing a Religious Freedom Restoration Act. How many more can this country endure before realizing it’s crime? This violation of basic human rights is ultimately slapping the Fourteenth Amendment in the face, and stomping on the due process clause itself. Why make these amendments if politics has the power to overrule those rights. What’s next?

Denying service to single parents or people who are dedicated to another religion? We are all taught at a young age that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, yet these new laws are what push the advancement of society towards a bottomless pit of doom where the issues of a woman’s right to her own body and equal pay unfortunately still reside.

(Yvonne Lieu is a 17-year-old senior at Casa Grande High School.)