Months after uproar, RFRA to go into effect

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Three months after the Religious Freedom Restoration Act dominated local and national headlines, the law is about to go into effect.

RFRA was signed into law by Gov. Mike Pence on March 26, sparking an outpouring of backlash online and in the form of protests around Indianapolis.

Two days after Pence signed RFRA, there was a downtown rally and a promise from Angie’s List that it would halt an expansion plan as a result of the law.

Local tourism groups worried as the story spread, and national celebrities and athletes spoke out.

Lawmakers came together to quickly modify the language of RFRA.

The clarified RFRA was eventually passed, and Pence signed it in private. But, the damage was done by then. A poll shows RFRA hurt Pence, with a number of people thinking his handling of it was “embarrassing.”