Same-Sex And Inter-Racial Couples In US To Be Secure If Respect For Marriage Act Passes
On Wednesday, November 16, the US Senate will vote on whether to codify the Respect For Marriage Act, which would protect same-sex marriage and leave room for religious protections. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer scheduled the vote on Monday, November 14, reports Axios.
THE FILIBUSTER IS EXPECTED TO BREAK
The Respect For Marriage Act has involved a bipartisan negotiation between Democrat progressives seeking to safeguard same-sex marriage and Republican conservatives hoping to maintain religious freedoms.
According to Axios, co-sponsors of the bill, Senator Tammy Baldwin and Senator Susan Collins, aim to draw more support from Republicans by providing “more clarity that the legislation would not take away any religious liberty or conscience protections”.
In a joint, bipartisan statement released on Monday, senators confirm that agreements have been made and concerns appeased across the bench. The statement says: “The Respect for Marriage Act is a needed step to provide millions of loving couples in same-sex and interracial marriages the certainty that they will continue to enjoy the freedoms, rights, and responsibilities afforded to all other marriages. Through bipartisan collaboration, we’ve crafted commonsense language to confirm that this legislation fully respects and protects Americans’ religious liberties and diverse beliefs, while leaving intact the core mission of the legislation to protect marriage equality. We look forward to this legislation coming to the floor and are confident that this amendment has helped earn the broad, bipartisan support needed to pass our commonsense legislation into law.”
With new language drafted for the Respect For Marriage Act, the vote on Wednesday, November 16 is predicted to go in favour of codifying. This would mean same-sex couples and interracial couples have the legislative assurance that their marriage rights cannot be threatened or removed.
