West Virginia Republican lawmaker John
O'Neal on Thursday claimed that the state needs a religious freedom
law because Christians can lose their businesses over “who they
love,” referring to God.
Versions of the West Virginia Freedom
of Conscience Protection Act were introduced in the House and Senate
last week. The bills define “exercise of religion” as “the
ability to act or refuse to act in a manner substantially motivated
by one's sincerely held religious beliefs or religious conscience,
whether or not the exercise is compulsory or central to a larger
system of religious belief.”
“Religious freedom is a basic right
that deserves attention under the law,” O'Neal, the House's
majority whip, told
the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). “In our state and in
many others right now, unfortunately, a person can go to church on
Sunday and worship, and on Monday they can go to work and lose their
business because of who they love, if the person they love happens to
be the Lord.”
A variation of that phrase refers to
the lack of nationwide LGBT protections in the United States.
“There are places where you can get
married on Sunday and are at risk of being fired from your job or
evicted from your home on Monday because you're gay,” Democratic
presidential candidate Hillary Clinton recently said. “That's not
how it should be in the United States of America. As President, I'll
fight for the equal rights of all Americans, no matter who they are
or who they love.”
A rally in support of the proposed bill
is expected to take place on January 28.