Indiana Governor Mike Pence pushed back today on claims that his state's new religious freedom law is a 'license to discriminate.' 'I abhor discrimination,' he said in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. 'If I saw a restaurant owner refuse to serve a gay couple, I wouldn’t eat there anymore.' The Republican politician said to be considering a presidential campaign stated that he'd veto any bill that 'legalized discrimination against any person or group' - but that's not what Indiana's law does. With the storm that has gathered over his state since he formally approved the law last Thursday showing no signs of dissipating, Pence called off public appearances on Monday. Meanwhile, sports officials planned an 'Indy Welcomes All' campaign ahead of this weekend's NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis as lawmakers scrambled to quiet the national firestorm over the new law that has much of the country portraying Indiana as a state of intolerance. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . This is not a 'license to discriminate': Indiana governor Mike Pence, pictured here last Thursday - the day he signed the state's new religious freedom law, said today that he abhors discrimination and would veto a law making it legal . Controversial law: Indiana Senate President Pro Tem David Long, left, and House Speaker Brian Bosma, right, said Monday that they would be willing to clarify the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act to to make it clear that the measure does not allow discrimination against gays and lesbians . Republican legislative leaders said they are working on adding language to the religious-objections law to make it clear that the measure does not allow discrimination against gays and lesbians. The measure 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. 'What we had hoped for with the bill was a message of inclusion, inclusion of all religious beliefs,' Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma said. 'What instead has come out is a message of exclusion, and that was not the intent.' The efforts fell flat with Democrats, who called for a repeal, and even some Republicans. 'They're scrambling to put a good face on a bad issue. What puzzles me is how this effort came to the top of the legislative agenda when clearly the business community doesn't support it,' said Bill Oesterle, an aide to Republican former Governor Mitch Daniels and CEO of consumer reporting agency Angie's List, which canceled expansion plans in Indianapolis because of the law. Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, a Republican, said the law threatens to undermine the city's economic growth and reputation as a convention and tourism destination and called for lawmakers to add protections for sexual orientation and gender identity to Indiana civil-rights laws. 'I call upon Governor Pence and the Indiana Legislature to fix this law. Either repeal it or pass a law that protects all who live, work and visit Indiana. And do so immediately. Indianapolis will not be defined by this,' Ballard said. If Angie's List doesn't go through with the planned $40 million investment into new headquarters in Indianapolis, the city stands to lose out on a projected 1,000 new jobs in the next half decade. NOT GOOD ENOUGH: Indiana Senate Democratic Leader Tim Lanane, left,  and Indiana House Democratic Leader Scott Pelath, right, call for the repeal of the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act at a Monday press conference . After a two-hour private meeting of House Republicans, Bosma said Monday that repealing the law isn't a realistic goal at this point." 'I'm looking for a surgical solution, and I think the least intrusive surgery is to clarify that (the law) cannot be used to support the denial of goods, facilities or services to any member of the public,' he said. Pence, who defended the law during a television appearance Sunday and in the Wall Street Journal on Monday, canceled scheduled appearances Monday night and Tuesday, in part because of planned protests. In the The Wall Street Journal essay, Pence argued that the religious freedom measure 'contains no reference to sexual orientation.' It simply 'mirrors' federal law, he stated. The federally mandated Affordable Care Act, he said, 'renewed concerns about government infringement on deeply held religious beliefs' compelling the Republican-controlled Indiana legislature to introduce enhanced protections for persons of faith. 'Faith and religion are important values to millions of Indiana residents,' he said. 'With the passage of this legislation, Indiana will continue to be a place that respects the beliefs of every person in our state.' Pence and Republican Senate President Pro Tem David Long have stressed that the new law is based on the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, which has been upheld by courts. But the Human Rights Campaign and other Democrat-aligned groups say it's disingenuous to compare the two laws. Demonstrators  gather outside the City County Building on Monday in Indianapolis, Indiana. A group of more than 2,000 protesters lined up outside the state Capitol on Saturday, as the tide of public opinion turned against the Hoosier State's new religious freedom bill . HRC's legal director, Sarah Warbelow, said the federal law was designed to ensure religious minorities were protected from laws passed by the federal government that might not have been intended to discriminate but had that effect. The Indiana law, she said, allows individuals to invoke government action even when the government is not a party to a lawsuit. It also allows all businesses to assert religious beliefs regardless of whether they are actually religious organizations. Warbelow said one of the best ways to fix the law would be to add language that explicitly says it cannot be used to undermine already existing civil rights protections. Democratic House Minority Leader Scott Pelath said Republican legislators should admit the law is a mistake. 'They're not facing up to reality — this is a national embarrassment,' Pelath said. 'The bush needs to be pulled up by its roots and thrown into the fire.' Indiana University law professor Deborah Widiss said the backlash is being fueled by the legalization of gay marriage and last year's Supreme Court ruling in a case that found Hobby Lobby and other closely held private businesses with religious objections could opt out of providing the free contraceptive coverage required by the Affordable Care Act. Indiana's lack of a law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is also a contributor, she said. Demonstrators react to the City County Council passing a resolution calling on the state to repeal or revise it's controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act . Long and Bosma did not appear eager to add such protection into the measure, noting that it is a big policy decision and that only four weeks remain in this year's legislative session. The fallout continued over the weekend and into Monday. The national public-employee union known as AFSCME announced Monday it was canceling a planned women's conference in Indianapolis this year because of the law. The band Wilco said it was no longer come to the city for a May performance. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe issued a letter to Indiana corporations saying Virginia is a business-friendly state that does 'not discriminate against our friends and neighbors,' while Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel sent letters to more than a dozen Indiana businesses, urging them to relocate to a 'welcoming place to people of all races, faiths and countries of origin.' Two states' Democratic governors , Connecticut's Dan Malloy, and Washington's Jay Inslee, said they were imposing an administration-wide ban on state-funded travel to Indiana. The city of Seattle, Washington, had already instituted such a travel ban as had San Francisco, California. As a similar bill advances in Arkansas, HRC's Warbelow said lawmakers need to take notice. 'We hope that the state legislature is paying attention ... and taking seriously that the whole world is looking at them,' she said.
New measure prohibits state laws that 'substantially burden' a person's ability to follow his or her religious beliefs . Republican legislative leaders said they are working on adding language to the religious-objections law to make it clear it's non-discriminatory . 'What we had hoped for with the bill was a message of inclusion, inclusion of all religious beliefs,' Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma said . GOP governor Mike Pence says he'd veto any bill that 'legalized discrimination' - but that's not what Indiana's law does . The religious freedom measure 'contains no reference to sexual orientation.' It simply 'mirrors' federal law, Pence said .