The new Iowa law directs that the state “shall not substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion, even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability,” unless the measure “is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest” and is “the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.”
“Thirty years ago, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act passed almost unanimously at the federal level,” Reynolds noted after signing the bill. “Since then, religious rights have increasingly come under attack.”
“Today, Iowa enacts a law to protect these unalienable rights — just as 26 other states have done — upholding the ideals that are the very foundation of our country,” she said.
Greg Chafuen, a lawyer with the legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom, said in a statement that the Iowa law “provides a sensible balancing test for courts to use when reviewing government policies that infringe upon the religious freedom rights of Iowans.”
“The law doesn’t determine who will win every disagreement,” Chaufen said, “but it does ensure that every Iowan — regardless of their religious creed or political power — receives a fair hearing when government action forces a person to violate his or her religious beliefs.”
Iowa joins the states of Utah, West Virginia, and Idaho in passing new religious freedom protection laws in 2024.
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