US Senate passes landmark bill to protect same-sex marriage
- The bipartisan vote came amid fears that a conservative-leaning Supreme Court could overturn a 2015 ruling that established the right to gay marriage
- Once passed, the legislation would repeal the Defence of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman under federal law
The US Senate on Tuesday passed legislation to enshrine federal protection for same-sex marriages with a bipartisan vote that signalled a massive cultural shift on the issue in America.
The 61-36 vote was a victory for Democrats who have raised concerns that the conservative-leaning Supreme Court could overturn a 2015 ruling that established the right to same-sex marriage.
“It’s a scary but necessary acknowledgement that despite all the progress we made, the constitutional right to same-sex marriage is not even a decade old and exists only by the virtue of a very narrow 5-4 Supreme Court decision,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
“And we all know the court has changed since that decision. As we have already seen this year what the court has decided in the past can be easily taken away in the future.”
The bill, named the Respect for Marriage Act, passed with 12 Republicans joining all Democrats present in support. The bill heads back to the House, where it’s expected to pass, because the Senate amended the legislation to provide religious liberty protections to meet demands from Republicans. The House passed an earlier version on a 267-157 bipartisan vote.