From the Des Moines Register, February 8, 2011:
It would be legal for an Iowa business owner who cites religious beliefs to refuse to provide jobs, housing, goods or services to people involved in a marriage that violates his or her religious convictions, according to a bill an Iowa House subcommittee will consider on Wednesday.
House Study Bill 50, called the Religious Conscience Protection Act, would allow a person, business or organization such as a charity or fraternal group to deny services without fear of facing a civil claim or lawsuit if they think doing so would validate or recognize same-sex relationships.
We were sold a lie during the Iowa elections. The Republicans were "not going to focus on social issues" but instead focus on fiscal responsibility and the budget and Bringing Back the Good Old Days under Guv'nor Branstad. They've already tried to bring forward a constitutional amendment and now this.
Add it to the list of "conscience" exemptions.
I don't understand why my fellow citizens hate me.
Rep. Richard Anderson, R-Clarinda, a lawyer and sponsor of the bill, said its intent is is to protect religious liberty.
. . . .
Asked if a person could refuse services to someone in an interracial marriage, Anderson said the U.S. Supreme Court has already decided that a state cannot prohibit those marriages. He said he believes people are creating absurd examples to object to the bill.
Anderson wants to ban same-sex marriage, a step that would drive state policy toward responsible procreation, he said on the floor of the House last week. He also said that same-sex marriage is a step toward state-recognized polygamy.
. . . .
A similar bill, House File 2350, was introduced last year by Rep. Kurt Swaim, D-Bloomfield, a lawyer. That bill had 21 sponsors, including Democrats and Republicans, but the proposal did not advance past the committee process.
Swaim, who is on the House judiciary subcommittee that will consider the bill, said Monday that the goal is not to focus on interracial marriages or other unions that some people might personally find objectionable.
"I think it has some merit," Swaim said of the bill. "I think this may be a way that we could approach the issue (of same-sex marriage) and hopefully come to some consensus."
They say it is not likely to pass the Senate, but that is by no means definite.