The American Parliament – The House, on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, passed the Respect for Marriage Act. The Act is set to protect marriage equality by repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and providing federal protections for same-sex and interracial couples. The bill was passed by 267 votes, with 47 Republicans joining every Democrat voting in favor of the bill.
Congressional Democrats mounted the legislative response this week to a concurring opinion by Justice Clarence Thomas suggesting that Supreme Court decisions involving access to contraception and same-sex marriage should be reconsidered.
The lower chamber will also take up later this week the Right to Contraception Act, which if passed would create a statutory right for people to access birth control. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, a Republican from Louisiana, said most Republicans will likely oppose the bill involving contraception.
Support from at least 10 Senate Republicans is needed for any bill to advance. While the two measures involving abortion; one would enshrine the right to abortion into federal law, and the other would ban states from interfering with a woman’s right to travel for the procedure, have little chance of becoming law. However, it’s unclear whether the bills protecting same-sex marriage and access to contraception will meet the same fate.
