The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

The House of Representatives votes to shield same-sex marriage against the threat of the Supreme Court

2022-07-19T12:34:44.421Z


The vote on the Respect for Marriage Act comes after a conservative high court justice called for "reconsidering" protections for same-sex weddings and contraceptives.


By Lisa Mascaro

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives is set to vote to protect same-sex and interracial marriages, a direct confrontation with the Supreme Court, whose conservative majority in Roe v.

Wade has raised concerns that other rights enjoyed by countless Americans may be in jeopardy.

This Tuesday's vote in the House of Representatives is part of the political strategy that prepares an election year that will force all legislators, Republicans and Democrats, to present their opinions on this high-level social issue.

[Pro-abortion activists believe the US is “turning back time” on reproductive rights]

It's also part of asserting the authority of the legislature, which stands up against an aggressive court that seems intent on revising many established US laws.

Representative Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat from New York and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement that "as long as this Court targets other fundamental rights, we cannot sit idly by."

Although the Respect for Marriage Act is expected to pass the House of Representatives, it will almost certainly stall in the Senate, where most Republicans will surely block it.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, a Democrat, leads a hearing on the future of abortion rights after the Roe v.

Wade for the Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on July 14, 2022.J.

Scott Applewhite/AP

It is one of several bills, including those enshrining abortion access, that Democrats are pushing to challenge the court's conservative majority.

Another bill, which guarantees access to contraceptive services, is scheduled to be voted on this week.

[The Supreme Court restricts the federal government's ability to combat the climate emergency]

The Respect for Marriage Act would repeal a leftover law still on the books from the Clinton era that defines marriage as a heterogeneous relationship between a man and a woman.

It would also provide legal protection for interracial marriages by prohibiting any state from denying out-of-state marriage licenses and benefits on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin.

The 1996 law, the Defense of Marriage Act, had been largely sidelined by Obama-era court rulings, including Obergefell v.

Hodges, which established the rights of same-sex couples to marry across the country, a landmark case for gay rights.

But last month, by removing the constitutional right to abortion in Roe v.

Wade, the court's conservative majority established during the Trump era has left critics worried about what may come.

After the ruling on abortion, more men want to have a vasectomy: "It's not that difficult"

July 1, 202201:39

Writing for the majority that overturned Roe v.

Wade, Justice Samuel Alito argued for a narrower interpretation of the rights guaranteed to Americans, arguing that the right to an abortion is not spelled out in the Constitution.

[Supreme Court upholds religious freedom of school coach fired for praying at games]

“Therefore, we hold that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion,” Alito wrote.

Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas went further and ruled that other rulings similar to Roe v.

Wade, including those relating to same-sex marriage and the right of couples to use contraception, should be reconsidered.

Although Alito insisted on the majority opinion that “this decision refers to the constitutional right to abortion and no other right”, others have taken note.

Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff in the landmark ruling that legalized same-sex marriage and who is now running as a Democrat for the Ohio House of Representatives, said after the abortion court ruling: “When we lose a right in the that we have trusted and enjoyed, other rights are in danger".

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2022-07-19

You may like

Life/Entertain 2024-03-27T09:34:33.166Z
News/Politics 2024-02-15T05:19:36.935Z
News/Politics 2024-03-07T05:09:05.894Z

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.