Passed with 61 votes in favor and 36 against... 12 Republican lawmakers support
House Speaker "Vote next week"... Biden "Will sign immediately upon House passage"
Establishes basis for recognizing same-sex marriage even if conservative Supreme Court precedents are overturned
Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin, who introduced the Respect for Marriage Act to protect same-sex marriage rights at the federal level, held a press conference at the Capitol on the 29th (local time). Photo by AFP Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] Bloomberg News reported on the 29th (local time) that the U.S. Senate passed a bill stipulating that same-sex marriage should be protected at the federal level.
On the day, the Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which guarantees same-sex marriage rights, with 61 votes in favor and 36 against. All Democratic lawmakers voted in favor, and 12 Republican lawmakers also cast their votes in favor.
The bill will now be referred to the House of Representatives, where its passage is expected to be smooth.
The House previously passed a similar bill guaranteeing same-sex marriage rights with 267 votes in favor and 157 against.
The bill passed by the Senate on this day was partially amended to include provisions related to the protection of religious freedom, accommodating Republican demands.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would bring the Respect for Marriage Act, referred from the Senate, to a vote next week.
U.S. President Joe Biden praised the Senate for passing the bill and said he would sign it immediately once it is finally passed by the House.
The bill passed by the Senate on this day does not require all states to legalize same-sex marriage, but it stipulates that even states that do not allow same-sex marriage must recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.
The U.S. has already recognized same-sex marriage rights nationwide since the 2015 Supreme Court ruling (Obergefell v. Hodges). However, concerns have arisen that the conservative-leaning Supreme Court, after overturning the 'Roe v. Wade' ruling that recognized abortion nationwide for 50 years, could also overturn precedents recognizing same-sex marriage rights. This has created a need to guarantee same-sex marriage rights by law, leading to the push for legislation.
Even if the 2015 Supreme Court ruling, which currently serves as the legal basis for same-sex marriage, is overturned by conservative justices, the Respect for Marriage Act, if finally passed, could serve as the basis for recognizing same-sex marriage nationwide.
The Respect for Marriage Act was introduced on a bipartisan basis by Democratic Senators Tammy Baldwin and Dianne Feinstein, and Republican Senator Susan Collins.
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