Following the US Senate, the House also passes bill recognizing same-sex marriage

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina]The bill recognizing the validity of same-sex marriage at the federal government level has passed both the Senate and the House in the United States. Now, only President Joe Biden's signature, who has expressed support for same-sex marriage, remains.

According to CNN and others, on the 8th (local time), the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Respect for Marriage Act with 258 votes in favor and 169 against. All Democratic House members voted in favor, and 39 Republicans also expressed support. CNN reported that loud applause broke out immediately after the vote.

The passed bill repeals the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibited federal benefits related to marriage for same-sex couples, and requires that marriages performed in states where same-sex marriage is legal be recognized throughout the United States. It does not force all state governments to legalize same-sex marriage.

Following the Senate's passage last month with 61 votes in favor and 36 against, the bill was approved in the House on this day, leaving only President Biden's signature before it takes effect. President Biden emphasized on the day, "We have taken an important step to guarantee Americans the right to marry the person they love." Earlier, he had stated last week that he would sign the bill immediately upon receiving it.

This bill protecting same-sex marriage gained rapid momentum after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision recognizing abortion rights in June. Concerns spread mainly among progressives that the conservative-leaning Supreme Court might overturn not only abortion rights but also same-sex marriage rights.

The United States legalized same-sex marriage in 2015 through the Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, but several states still have laws banning same-sex marriage. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 568,000 same-sex married couples in the United States.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed in a statement the day before that she was very pleased that one of the bills passed during her tenure as Speaker would be a law protecting same-sex marriage in the United States.