Indiana Governor: 'We're Not Going to Change the Law'

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Gov. Mike Pence says he is "not going to change" the new state law that's garnered widespread criticism over concerns it could foster discrimination.

Pence appeared on ABC's "This Week" to discuss the measure he signed last week prohibiting state laws that "substantially burden" a person's ability to follow his or her religious beliefs.

Pence said Sunday that if lawmakers send him a bill to clarify the law's intent, he'll look at it. But Pence was adamant that, "We're not going to change the law."

Host George Stephanopoulos repeatedly asked whether it's legal for a Christian florist to refuse a gay couple service, but Pence refused.

The governor also referred to similar federal and state laws.

The law has been widely criticized by businesses and organizations around the nation.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence says he will support legislation to "clarify the intent" of a new state law that has attracted widespread criticism over concerns it could allow discrimination against gay people.

In an interview Saturday with the Indianapolis Star (http://indy.st/1MhuY1d ), the Republican governor said he's been in discussions with legislative leaders this weekend. He expects that a clarification bill will be introduced this coming week to the religious objections law he signed Thursday. Pence declined to provide details but told the newspaper that making gay and lesbian Indiana residents a protected legal class is "not on my agenda."

Pence disputes that the law allows state-sanctioned anti-gay discrimination, as some Indiana businesses, convention organizers and others have argued. He says he didn't anticipate "the hostility that's been directed at our state."

Since Republican Gov. Mike Pence signed the bill into law Thursday, Indiana has been widely criticized by businesses and organizations around the nation, as well as on social media with the hashtag (hash)boycottindiana. And the fallout began Saturday, when consumer review service Angie's List said it will suspend a planned expansion in Indianapolis because of the new law.

The measure, which takes effect in July, prohibits state laws that "substantially burden" a person's ability to follow his or her religious beliefs. The definition of "person" includes religious institutions, businesses and associations.

Pence and other supporters of the law contend discrimination claims are overblown and insist it will keep the government from compelling people to provide services they find objectionable on religious grounds. They also maintain that courts haven't allowed discrimination under similar laws covering the federal government and 19 other states.

But state Rep. Ed DeLaney, an Indianapolis Democrat, said Indiana's law goes further and opens the door to discrimination.

"This law does not openly allow discrimination, no, but what it does is create a road map, a path to discrimination," he told the large, boisterous crowd that gathered outside of the Statehouse on Saturday. "Indiana's version of this law is not the same as that in other states. It adds all kinds of new stuff and it moves us further down the road to discrimination."

Saturday's crowd, for which police didn't have an exact estimate, chanted "Pence must go!" several times and many people held signs like "I'm pretty sure God doesn't hate anyone" and "No hate in our state."

In the newspaper interview, Pence said he didn't expect the reaction the law has generated.

"I just can't account for the hostility that's been directed at our state," he said. "I've been taken aback by the mischaracterizations from outside the state of Indiana about what is in this bill."

U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, a Democrat, released a video statement on his Facebook page Saturday, saying: "We'll work together to reverse SB101 and we'll stand together to make sure that here in Indiana, we welcome everyone, every day."

Among those who attended Saturday's rally was Jennifer Fox, a 40-year-old from Indianapolis who was joined by her wife, Erin Fox, and their two boys, ages 5 and 8, and other relatives.

Fox said they married last June on the first day that same-sex marriage became legal in Indiana under a federal court ruling. She believes the religious objections law is a sort of reward to Republican lawmakers and conservative Christian constituents who strongly opposed legalizing gay marriage in the state.

"I believe that's where this is coming from - to find ways to push their own agenda, which is not a religious agenda; it's aimed at a specific section of people," Fox said.

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, a Republican who opposed the law, said he and other city officials would be talking to many businesses and convention planners to counter the uproar.

Angie's List had sought an $18.5 million incentive package from Indianapolis' City-County Council to add 1,000 jobs over five years. But founder and CEO Bill Oseterle said in a statement Saturday that the expansion was on hold "until we fully understand the implications of the freedom restoration act on our employees."

The Indianapolis-based NCAA has expressed concerns about the law and has suggested it could move future events elsewhere; the men's Final Four will be held in the city next weekend.