The same-sex marriage was made legal nationally by the US Supreme Court in 2015. Nevertheless, following the Dobbs verdict, Democrats and some Republicans felt compelled to support the right to wed whoever one chose after Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said in a concurring opinion that the high court should revisit the Obergefell v. Hodges decision from 2015.
The Respect for Marriage Act was approved by the US Senate on November 29 after 12 Republicans joined all 50 Democratic Senators. The updated version of the original law, which was approved by the House in July, will be voted on soon. It is anticipated to pass and make its way to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature. Despite the Left’s victory, some fear that the new law may be oppressively applied to coerce individuals into abandoning their religion.
The proposal would mandate that all marriages that occur across the country and are valid in the state where they occurred be recognized by the federal government. No matter who one loves, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), everyone deserves respect and equality. The Senate first considered voting on the House-passed legislation in September, but Schumer postponed it in the hopes of garnering additional bipartisan support.
Some conservatives expressed grave concerns about the lack of protections for religious liberties prior to its ratification. The law, according to opponents, might sanction discrimination against those who have truly held religious convictions but oppose gay marriage. Individuals, social service organizations, nonprofit religious institutions, and small enterprises are among those that run the risk of being targeted.
Greg Baylor, senior attorney for Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), stated on November 19 that the IRS may revoke a non-tax-exempt profit’s status if it found that the charity had committed illegal activities. He claimed that tax officials may exploit the rule to penalise people who reject same-sex unions.
The lawmakers who voted in favor of the measure and backed religious liberty, according to Roger Severino, vice president of domestic policy at the Heritage Foundation, are either naive or ignorant of the laws they are adopting.
He underlined that the legislation raises questions about the tax-exempt status of faith-based nonprofits and claimed that the Left will use it to sue adoption agencies who exclusively promote conventional marriage and force them out of business.
According to Severino, the measure aims to give the government control over people who think marriage should only be between one man and one woman. People of faith, he said, wouldn’t forget the vote and would support individuals who might be the target of legal action due to the law.
