Tell Michigan that religious values do not supersede basic civil liberties!

In the first week of December, Republicans in the Michigan Statehouse passed a “license to discriminate” bill - HB 5958 - that would give just about anyone the right to refuse service of any kind to any person - if any aspect of that other person's life conflicted with their personal religious beliefs. Here is the bill as it stands:
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2013-2014/billengrossed/House/pdf/2014-HEBH-5958.pdf

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) is so broadly written that it would allow, for example, emergency medical personnel to refuse treatment to a gay person, or a pharmacist to refuse to refill HIV medication or birth control. It would let a counsellor to refuse treatment to an alcoholic if their religion condemns the consumption of alcohol, or the same counsellor to refuse support to a victim of violence in a same-sex partnership if their religion condemns homosexuality. It could even allow a Fundamentalist Christian DMV clerk to refuse to issue a driver's license to someone who is divorced. It would also allow religious people to refuse service to people of a different religion! This could potentially spiral and cause chaos. Democrats offered amendments to the bill that would have required the law to clearly state that the bill would not interfere with the protections offered by Michigan's civil rights act; all amendments failed and all Democrats on the committee and in the full House opposed the bill, while all Republicans supported it.

As noted in msnbc's Dec 6 article: “In many religions, it’s OK for a man to beat his wife,” Brooke Tucker, staff attorney at the ACLU of Michigan, told msnbc. “Based on language in this bill, all he has to say is my religion allows me to do this.”

The bill, sponsored by Speaker of the House Jase Bolger, was fast-tracked, and passed 59-50. If it is passed in the Michigan Senate by Majority Leader Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, and is signed by Republican Governor Rick Snyder, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act will become law. We cannot let this happen.

A rabbi eloquently opposes the RFRA: http://time.com/3629943/michigan-religious-freedom-restoration-act/

“The idea that we need to ‘restore’ religious freedom — rights that are already enshrined in the U.S. Constitution — is a farce created by conservative lawmakers for the sole purpose of appeasing their far-right donors and the religious right,” said Lonnie Scott of Progress Michigan.

There was a bill like this on the table in Arizona last year. The bill set off a national debate over gay rights (even though the bill could potentially effect people outside the queer community for other reasons), with Democrats asserting that it was a veiled attempt to legally discriminate against gay people and cite religious freedom as a defense. There was immense oppositional pressure from political leaders from both parties, the public, and private companies alike - and Republican Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed it. So your signature COUNTS.

Sign this petition now to be delivered to Michigan's Majority Leader Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, and Governor Rick Snyder to tell them that 1) we will not quietly stand aside while their government decides to allow for the possibility of gross mistreatment of ANY human being, 2) every person in Michigan deserves every civil right without exception, and 3) this is the kind of bill that sends the development of humanity astray, and while the rest of the world is working to amends or abolish the laws like this that exist in their system to reflect our maturing views on human rights, you're moving backwards in the fight for equality across the board. Get on the right path, Michigan. **Either veto the bill altogether OR seriously address the proposed amendments that would protect the civil rights of Michigan's people.**