Arizona lawmakers pass bill to allow faith-based refusal of services

By David Schwartz

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona lawmakers gave final approval on Thursday to a bill that would allow businesses to refuse service to customers when such work would violate their religious beliefs, in a move critics describe as a license to discriminate against gays and others.

Under the bill, a business owner would have a defense against a discrimination lawsuit, provided a decision to deny service was motivated by a "sincerely held" religious belief and that giving such service would have substantially burdened the exercise of their religious beliefs.  Read more:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/21/us-usa-gays-arizona-idUSBREA1K06M20140221