JACKSON, Miss. - Mississippi's governor signed a law Tuesday that allows religious groups and some private businesses to refuse service to gay couples based on religious beliefs.
Gov. Phil Bryant signed House Bill 1523, despite opposition from gay-rights groups and some businesses who say it enables discrimination. Some conservative and religious groups support the bill.
The measure's stated intention is to protect those who believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman, that sexual relations should only take place inside such marriages, and that male and female genders are unchangeable.
"This bill merely reinforces the rights which currently exist to the exercise of religious freedom as stated in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution," the Republican governor wrote in a statement posted to his Twitter account.
The measure allows churches, religious charities and privately held businesses to decline services to people whose lifestyles violate their religious beliefs.
Individual government employees also may opt out, although the measure says governments must still provide services.
"This bill does not limit any constitutionally protected rights or actions of any citizen of this state under federal or state laws," Bryant said. "It does not attempt to challenge federal laws, even those which are in conflict with the Mississippi Constitution, as the Legislature recognizes the prominence of federal law in such limited circumstances."
Other states have considered similar legislation. North Carolina enacted a law on March 23, while governors in Georgia and South Dakota vetoed proposals.
The West Virginia House of Delegates passed a similar bill in its recently ended session. That bill was killed in the Senate, on a 27-7 vote.
Also on Tuesday, in what is being called the biggest tangible economic backlash to the North Carolina law that more than 100 corporate heads have decried as unfair, PayPal canceled plans to bring 400 jobs to the state after lawmakers passed a law that restricts protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
The San Jose, California-based company said it was canceling its planned expansion in Charlotte because of the law. Gov. Pat McCrory was on hand to celebrate days earlier, when PayPal announced plans to hire about 400 people at a new operation center in Charlotte.
"This decision reflects PayPal's deepest values and our strong belief that every person has the right to be treated equally, and with dignity and respect," the company said in a statement.