Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said Tuesday he wants new legislation clarifying that a new religious-freedom does not allow discrimination on his desk by the end of the week. The White House fired back hours later, calling Pence a 'previously defiant governor' who has suddenly decided 'to consider a position of changing the law' amid a 'bipartisan and even nonpolitical outcry.' Pence told reporters he has been meeting with lawmakers 'around the clock' to address concerns that the law will allow businesses to deny services to gays and lesbians. 'After much reflection and in consultation with the leadership of the general assembly,' he told reporters during a press conference, 'I've come to the conclusion that it would be helpful to move legislation this week that makes it clear that this law does not give businesses a right to deny services to anyone.' Scroll down for video . Indiana Gov. Mike Pence now says he wants changes to a religious-freedom law he signed just days ago, as criticism mounts from gay rights groups . Protests have swirled around Indianapolis since the law took effect, with activists insisting it's a license to discriminate against gays and lesbians . White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest unleashed a biting attack on Indiana lawmakers near the beginning of his briefing on Tuesday. 'This piece of legislation flies in the face of the kinds of values that people all across the country strongly support,' he said. That, Earnest claimed, is why 'we've seen the governor and other Indiana officials in damage-control mode here.' The law Pence signed last week prohibits state laws that 'substantially burden' a person's ability to follow his or her religious beliefs. The definition of 'person' includes religious institutions, businesses and associations. Pence says the law has been 'grossly mischaracterized' and has put Indiana under a harsh glare – resulting in a 'perception problem' that he has to address. 'I don't believe for a minute that it was the intent of the General Assembly to create a license to discriminate,' he said. 'It certainly wasn't my intent.' But, Pence said, he 'can appreciate that that's become the perception, not just here in Indiana but all across the country. We need to confront that.' Supporters of the measure say it protects their ability to exercise their religious beliefs without shelving them when they enter the business marketplace. Opponents insist it gives Indiana residents and companies a legal loophole if they want to discriminate against gays and lesbians. The legal language itself doesn't specifically mention gays or lesbians . But the central controversy surrounding the law concerns whether or not Christians who run photography, catering or florist businesses should be allowed to refuse service to people who are planning same-sex weddings. Businesses and organizations including the NCAA – whose iconic 'Final Four' basketball tournament comes to Indianapolis this week – have voiced concern over the effect of the law, and some states have barred government-funded travel to Indiana. NASCAR, the stock-car racing circuit, joined the fray on Tuesday with a statement assuring fans that 'we will not embrace nor participate in exclusion or violence.' The organization pledged that it would welcome all fans in Indiana and elsewhere. Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post over the weekend opposing the Indiana law and a near-identical bill pending in Arkansas. At the White House, Earnest said it was no surprise that 'we see business leaders saying that they are reluctant to business in a state where their customers or even their employees could be subjected to greater discrimination just because of who they love.' White House press secretary Josh Earnest upbraided Indiana Republicans on Tuesday for the religious-freedom law, which bears many similarities to a federal law signed by President Bill Clinton in 1993 . Are you being served? Gay weddings are ground-zero for religious-freedom laws, as some vendors' religious beliefs prohibit them from participating in same-sex ceremonies . Three states have banned taxpayer-funded travel to Indiana this week in response to the legislation, as well as the city of San Francisco, California, and the city of Seattle, Washington. Connecticut became the first state on Monday to introduce a travel ban and was followed by Washington and New York. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo today directed all state agencies to immediately 'bar any such publicly funded travel that is not essential to the enforcement of state law or public health and safety.' 'New York State has been, and will continue to be, a leader in ensuring that all LGBT persons enjoy full and equal civil rights. With this action, we stand by our LBGT family members, friends and colleagues to ensure that their rights are respected,' he said in a statement. Connecticut's governor, Dannel Malloy, accused Indiana of 'outright bigotry.' 'The reality is, the governor is not a stupid man, but he’s done stupid things. And signing this law and, quite frankly, promoting this law, knowing exactly what it was going to do, was an incredibly stupid thing for him to do,' said on MSNBC. 'But even there, if you get the picture from who was around him when he signed this bill, there were three homophobic men standing alongside the governor. One of them who equated being gay with bestiality. That’s who he invited to the signing ceremony. He knew exactly what he was doing, and when you see a bigot you have to call him on it.' The Family Research Council, an evangelical group based out of Washington D.C. that lobbies against abortion and same-sex marriage and promotes religious liberty, came to Pence's defense on Tuesday, saying that Indiana has been the target of 'bullying' and 'misinformation.' It said critics' claims about the law are a 'complete falsehood.' Indiana's religious  freedom law is not 'about denying people a seat in a restaurant or a room at a hotel,' the organization's president, Tony Perkins, said in a statement. 'Christians would never deny people these services but being forced to participate in a ceremony that violates religious beliefs is completely un-American and uncivil,' he added. Continuing, he said, 'We must ensure that religious business owners are not forced by the government to participate in a same-sex ceremony.' Perkins said his organization would back a clarification in the law explaining that it 'does not impact non-religious goods or services.' Best intentions: Pence said Tuesday that it was not 'the intent of the General Assembly to create a license to discriminate,' , and added that 'it certainly wasn't my intent' Loud and proud: Whether or not Indiana's new law actually makes it legal to discriminate, gay rights groups have been promoting the idea that it does . Pence says the backlash has been the result of a willful twisting of the law's meaning by its opponents. 'That's why I think we need to focus specifically on this perception that this creates some license to discriminate,' he said. The controversy has opened up the possibility that the pendulum Indiana lawmakers pushed into motion could swing in the opposite direction. Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, a Republican, said Monday that state legislators should add gays to the list of groups specifically protected by the state's civil rights law. And Tuesday's edition of the Indianapolis Star included a special cover emblazoned with the words 'FIX THIS NOW' in giant letters, along with a scathing editorial. The newspaper's editorial board said the uproar sparked by the law has 'done enormous harm' to the state and potentially to its economic future. Pence seemed to be sticking to his guns on Monday, writing an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal that blamed 'critics and many in the national media' for getting their facts wrong. 'The Religious Freedom Restoration Act reflects federal law, as well as law in 30 states nationwide,' he wrote.' 'I abhor discrimination,' Pence insisted. 'I believe in the Golden Rule that you should "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." If I saw a restaurant owner refuse to serve a gay couple, I wouldn’t eat there anymore.'
Gov. Mike Pence seemed to blink Tuesday in the face of withering pressure after he signed a 'Religious Feredom Restoration Act' bill into law . Gay-rights activists complained bitterly that the law was a license for wedding vendors and other businesses to discriminate . White House says it 'flies in the face of the kinds of values that people all across the country strongly support' & put Pence in 'damage-control mode'
Connecticut's governor accused Indiana of 'outright bigotry' and blocked state-funded travel to the state . Pence insisted that the law only gives businesses a legal basis to defend themselves on religious grounds if they're sued . It doesn't, he said, make it legal to violate anti-discrimination statutes . That distinction has been lost on everyone from the NCAA to NASCAR, with most opponents ignoring 19 other states with similar laws .