Pressure Mounts to Veto AZ Faith Protections Bill

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is under intense pressure to veto a measure that allows business owners to deny service to gays and lesbians on religious grounds.

Bill 1062 passed the state legislature last week, but now three state senators who voted in favor of it have changed course and are voicing opposition.

Among those pressuring Brewer to veto the measure are U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., along with business owners and companies like Apple Inc. and the CEO of American Airlines Group Inc.

Opponents said the measure is a license to discriminate against gays and an embarrassment to the state.

The bill is being pushed by the Center for Arizona Policy, a social conservative group that opposes abortion and gay marriage.

The group said the proposal is needed to protect against increasingly activist federal courts and simply clarifies existing state law.

CAP President Cathi Herrod is urging Brewer to sign the legislation and deriding what she called "fear-mongering" from its opponents.

"The attacks on SB 1062 ... represent precisely why so many people are sick of the modern political debate," Herrod wrote in a weekend posting on the group's website.

"Instead of having an honest discussion about the true meaning of religious liberty, opponents of the bill have hijacked this discussion through lies, personal attacks, and irresponsible reporting," she charged.

Supporters of the bill said it comes down to protecting religious freedom in the state and that it simply clarifies existing state law.