Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a Religious Freedom Restoration Act, making Iowa the latest state to pass protective laws amid concerns that the measures open the door to anti-LGBT discrimination.

In a statement after a Tuesday bill-signing, Reynolds noted the law passed “almost unanimously at the federal level” 30 years ago.

“Since then, religious rights have increasingly come under attack,” she wrote. “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.”

The measure passed Iowa’s House and Senate in February.

According to Catholic News Agency, more than half of U.S. states have passed RFRAs since the federal government passed the original law in 1993 in response to a Supreme Court decision determining a state can enact a law forbidding some religious behaviors if the measure is a “neutral law of general applicability.”

The Iowa law states 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.”

Greg Chafuen, a lawyer with the legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom, said 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.”

Courtney Reyes, executive director of LGBTQ rights groups One Iowa Action, told Iowa Public Radio that the law opens the door to people claiming they can decide which laws they will obey.

“There’s no denying it: this bill is aimed at discriminating against LGBTQ+ Iowans, single parents, people needing reproductive health care services, and many more,” Reyes told Iowa Public Radio.

Catholic News Agency reported that Utah, West Virginia, and Idaho also passed new religious freedom protection laws this year.

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