Indiana's Gov. Mike Pence Defends Religious Freedom Law: 'I Abhor Discrimination'

Indiana's Governor Mike Pence said this week that he will clarify the purpose of his new religious freedom law in the coming days amid backlash by those who believe the law is a license to discriminate against gay people.

Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act, signed by Pence last week, prevents the government from burdening a person's religious freedoms unless it has a compelling interest to do so.

The recently-passed law has received criticism from some companies, such as Apple and Angie's List, as well as some organizations who argue that the legislation will allow local business owners to discriminate against gay people based on their religious beliefs.

Amid criticism for the law, Pence told Fox News this week that he and his administration will attempt to "clarify" the purpose of the law in the coming days. Pence previously argued that those decrying the law as discrimination were misunderstanding the bill's purpose.

"I abhor discrimination," the Republican governor told Fox News, adding that the purpose of the bill was never to give a "license to discriminate."

"We'll clarify that in the days ahead, and we'll fix this and move forward," Pence added.

As USA Today reports, the law has received backlash from some groups in the state, many of whom have their headquarters in Indianapolis.

In a letter issued to Pence this week, nine corporate CEO's asked the governor to "immediately enact new legislation that makes it clear that neither the Religious Freedom Restoration Act nor any other Indiana law can be used to justify discrimination based upon sexual orientation or gender identity."