The U.S. Senate passed Democrats’ bill to codify same-sex “marriage” in a 61-36 vote on Tuesday, dealing a major blow to conservatives and putting the legislation one step closer to becoming law.
Twelve Republicans joined all Democrats to give final approval to the “Respect for Marriage Act” (RMA), even after the Senate rejected three amendments proposed by Republican senators to blunt the bill’s harms to religious liberty.
The RMA makes the redefinition of marriage the law of the land, including in the event that the Supreme Court overturns its 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision that mandates legal recognition of same-sex “marriage” nationwide.
The bill repeals the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996, which federally recognized marriage as between one man and one woman and guaranteed the right of states to uphold traditional marriage, and instead requires the federal government and all 50 states to recognize homosexual “marriages” and other civil marriages lawfully performed in any state, potentially including incestuous and underage marriages.
