The Mississippi Legislature passed a religious freedom bill Friday that would prohibit the government from punishing businesses, social workers, religious groups and public employees for denying services based on “sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction.”

Mississippi’s House of Representatives approved the Senate version of the “Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act” by a vote of 69-45.

As NBC News reports, the government would not be permitted to prevent those of faith from, among other things:

• Refusing to marry a same-sex couples
• Firing an employee whose “conduct or religious beliefs are inconsistent with those of the religious organization”
• Blocking the adoption of a child because of religious beliefs.

Democratic State Rep. Jay Hughes called the bill’s passage a “sad day for Mississippi.”

Mississippi’s Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves is a strong supporter of the bill. “In the wake of last year’s U.S. Supreme Court decision, many Mississippians including pastors, wanted protection to exercise their religious liberties,” Reeves said Wednesday. “This bill simply protects those individuals from government interference when practicing their religious beliefs.”

The majority of the state is with Tate. A new survey shows 63% of Mississippi voters support the proposed law. Said Family Research Council President Tony Perkins after today’s vote, “Mississippians of all ages and political persuasions agree with state leaders that no one should be punished by the government with crippling fines simply for believing what President Obama believed just a few years ago.”

The bill now heads to Gov. Phil Bryant. Bryant, a Republican and vocal supporter of traditional marriage, hasn’t said whether he’ll sign the controversial legislation. However, he told WLBT last week he didn’t think the bill was discriminatory.

LGBT activists are fiercely denouncing the religious freedom bill, with the Civil and Human Rights coalition comparing it to Jim Crow, and raising the specter of Mississippi’s former segregationist governor Ross Barnett. “Bryant’s choice is clear: Either follow the path of progress or turn back the clock to the time of Ross Barnett.”

Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association, rejected any comparisons to Jim Crow, saying the bill is not legal discrimination against the LGBT community. “If you feel like homosexuality is a sin then, if you’re forced as a business to participate in that sin, that’s a violation of your religious freedom,” Wildmon said. “The other side should show love and compassion to the Christians by not forcing them to do something against their religion. These people are out to punish the Christians who don’t want to participate.”

Here’s how CNN headlined its story on Mississippi legislature’s move:

The accompanying article offered not one voice of support for the bill. CNN later scrubbed the heavily-weighted title:

The news network softened the article‘s original language, but as of 5:31 p.m. Eastern, the new version still contained no comment in support of the religious freedom bill.

On Monday, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal caved to pressure from LGBT activists and national corporations and vetoed a similar — if much watered-down — bill protecting religious liberty.