La. mulls religious-objections law

Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La.

Even before the opening of Louisiana’s legislative session, a bill has thrust the state into the national debate over religious objections laws.

Opponents of the laws — which have drawn national headlines in Indiana and Arkansas — say they allow for businesses and others to discriminate against gays and lesbians on moral and religious grounds. But proponents say the laws protect religious-freedom rights, guarding individuals and businesses from heavy-handed state action.

In Louisiana, with the Legislature’s session set to open Monday, exactly what the Marriage and Conscience Act would allow is in dispute. Already, it is pitting socially conservative supporters against LGBT and business groups who call the bill exclusionary of same-sex couples.