The U.S. Senate has passed a bill that would safeguard protections for same-sex and interracial marriages in the U.S.
Both have already been legalised in the U.S. after respective U.S. Supreme Court verdicts. However, recent decisions by the Supreme Court have triggered the Government to seek further protections for certain rights.
The Bill will now be sent back to the House of Representatives, where it’s expected to pass.
Why has this happened?
It was deemed necessary to seek further protections for same-sex and interracial marriages after the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion in June.
When this happened, Justice Clarence Thomas, one of the nine justices, suggested some other rights protected by Supreme Court decisions should also be reviewed. He specifically identified the right to same-sex marriage.
So what does this Bill mean?
This Bill seeks to ensure that same-sex and interracial marriages are still recognised in the U.S, in case the Supreme Court reverses previous decisions in relation to these rights.
It doesn’t mean that the Supreme Court cannot reverse its previous decisions. However, it does ensure that these marriages would be recognised across the U.S, regardless of rulings made by the Supreme Court.
Bipartisan support
The Democrats have a slim majority in the Senate. The legislation was backed by all Democrats, but was only able to pass the Senate with the support of some Republicans.
There were 12 Republicans who supported the Bill, which allowed the legislation to be passed 61-36.
Republican support was guaranteed by an amendment that protects the right of religious organisations to refuse to celebrate same-sex marriages.
What about the House?
The amended Bill will now be sent back to the House of Representatives (Lower House), where it’s expected to be passed with a Democrat majority.
The Democrats lost their House majority at this month’s midterm elections. However, this won’t come into effect until January, when the new term of Congress begins.
President’s response
Biden called the Senate’s passing of the Bill a “bipartisan achievement”, and said he would promptly sign it into law once it reached his desk.
“The United States is on the brink of reaffirming a fundamental truth: love is love, and Americans should have the right to marry the person they love.”
