In the United States, the right to same-sex marriage may soon be protected by federal law. The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday evening (local time) by a bipartisan majority of 61 to 36 in favor of a corresponding bill. The House of Representatives has yet to vote on the draft. However, the approval of the Chamber of Congress is considered certain, because US President Joe Biden’s Democrats still have a narrow majority there.
Passing the law, which had little chance in the Senate this summer and which also protects marriages between people of different ethnic groups, would be a historic step. Same-sex marriage was legalized in the United States by a 2015 Supreme Court decision that declared unconstitutional a 1996 law that established marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
Abortion rights in the US since summer history
However, concerns arose this year when the right-wing majority on the Supreme Court overturned the 1970s Supreme Court ruling on abortion rights. One of the judges, arch-conservative lawyer Clarence Thomas, placed the same-sex marriage decision in a series of rulings that the court must reconsider.
States will have to recognize same-sex marriage
If the court reverses the 2015 decision and there is no federal law, states could refuse to recognize same-sex marriage. Federal law does not force any U.S. state to allow same-sex couples to marry. But it would require states to recognize all marriages legally contracted elsewhere. With the vote, the United States is about to affirm a fundamental truth, US President Biden said. “Love is love, and Americans should have the right to marry the person they love.”
For years, lawmakers have tried to pass federal legislation that would establish the right to same-sex marriage and repeal the 1996 law once and for all. So far they have always failed. Biden’s Democrats had made another attempt over the summer — and the draft also passed the House of Representatives. But since changes were made to the text in the Senate, the bill now has to go through the other chamber of Congress again.
The Democrats will hold the majority in the House of Representatives until the end of the year. In the next legislature, Republicans will have limited control of the chamber due to seat gains in the recent midterm elections. So the Democrats must hurry to pass important legislation. In the Senate vote, all of the dissenting votes came from Republicans – but at the same time twelve Republicans voted with the Democrats for the bill, bringing in the necessary votes.
The majority of the population supports same-sex marriage
Polls show that a majority of the American population supports same-sex marriage rights — and so do a majority of Republican supporters. The Senate should actually vote on the text of the law before the congressional elections in early November. But this has been postponed. For the Republicans, a pre-election vote was considered awkward, they did not want to take a position. Many right-wing Republicans had recently placed particular emphasis on trans-hostile statements, heating up the mood in the country.
Deadly shots at a nightclub popular with gays, lesbians and the trans community caused widespread horror. Five people were killed in the attack in the American state of Colorado a week and a half ago. “I think you can see from the facts that it’s very hard to imagine a situation where the motive isn’t hate,” Colorado’s attorney general said.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
