The law repeals previous legislation defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, but it is unlikely to pass the Senate.
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The House of Representatives voted on Tuesday July 19 a law to protect marriage for all throughout the United States, for fear of a backtracking by the Supreme Court in the matter. Concretely, the law repeals previous legislation defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman and prohibits civil registrars, regardless of the State in which they work, from discriminating against couples “because of their sex, race, ethnicity or origin”.
the “Respect for Marriage Act”, therefore applies to people of the same sex, whose unions have been guaranteed since 2015 by the Supreme Court of the United States, but also to interracial couples, whom the high court has protected since 1967. But the high court has just carried out a historic about-face on the right to abortion, by annulling, on June 24, the Roe v. Wade, which since 1973 has guaranteed the right of American women to have an abortion. Since then, progressive elected members of Congress have multiplied bills.
Bills to protect abortion passed
The bill, introduced only the day before in Congress, received the support of 267 elected officials, that is to say all the Democrats supported by 47 Republicans, during a vote greeted by applause in the hemicycle. His chances of succeeding in the Senate seem more limited since ten elected Republicans would have to vote with the Democrats. Only Senator Susan Collins has so far said she is ready to do so.
Two texts to protect access to abortion were also adopted last week in the Chamber and another on the right to contraception must be voted on there this week. It is likely that they all stumble in the Senate.