US House of Representatives will pass a law on same-sex marriage, what will change?
2022.12.06 06:53
US House of Representatives will pass a law on same-sex marriage, what will change?
Budrigannews.com – A sign of a significant cultural shift in a divided nation is the expected bipartisan support for a bill that protects federal recognition of same-sex marriages and has the support of both LGBT advocates and religious groups.
In response to Obergefell v. Hodges, a 2015 Supreme Court decision that made same-sex marriage legal across the country, the Respect for Marriage Act was passed by the Senate last week.
In the event that Obergefell is overturned by the court, which ended the nationwide right to abortion in June, the legislation would make it possible for the federal government to continue recognizing same-sex and interracial marriages in states where they were legally performed. This was a concern that was raised by the court.
In November, a bipartisan amendment confirmed that the bill would not violate existing religious freedoms, easing conservative opposition at first. A group of Democratic and Republican senators authored the bill, which received support from a number of national religious organizations.
American Baptist reverend Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president of Interfaith Alliance, stated that religious groups’ support for the bill demonstrated that many had undergone a “remarkable transformation” in their perception of same-sex marriage.
He attributed the shift to the fact that since the Supreme Court legalized such marriages, they had become less common in the United States.
Raushenbush, who is also in a same-sex marriage, stated, “The sky didn’t fall because same-sex marriage began happening.” The apparition of same-sex couples getting hitched no longer feels terrifying on the grounds that it’s very ordinary.”
Tim Schultz, president of the 1st Amendment Partnership, a group that promotes religious liberty, stated that the fact that a variety of religious organizations that are theologically opposed to same-sex marriage support the amendment demonstrates that attitudes have evolved.
He stated, “It is not in their interest as religious organizations to fight a permanent culture war over gay rights.” They accept that looking for shared view is in light of a legitimate concern for strict opportunity, the benefit of everyone and how they depict their confidence to the world.”
Even after religious freedom protections were added, other religious groups, like the Southern Baptist Convention, strongly opposed the legislation.
Leatherwood, who is also the president of the convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, stated that “the ability of (Baptist) organizations to follow their consciences as they carry out their work has already been a source of conflict.” Leatherwood said this. The law will only further muddy those waters.
This description of the bill was rebuffed by a number of conservative senators, who ultimately received support from a dozen Republicans.
Republican Senator Todd Young wrote in an opinion piece for a newspaper last week that the legislation “offers far more in the way of religious liberty protections than currently under Obergefell, which leaves all such decisions up to the courts.” He expressed his support for the bill.
In arguments challenging a Colorado law prohibiting discrimination, the Supreme Court appeared ready to rule that a Christian Web designer has the right to refuse to provide services for same-sex marriages. The vote comes a day after the argument.
