12 Senate Republicans Help Democrats Advance Unthinkable Bill

12 Senate Republicans Help Advance Same-Sex Marriage Bill

(USNewsMag.com) – After the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Democrats began pushing to codify same-sex and interracial marriages. The House passed the Respect for Marriage Act in July, but there weren’t enough votes in the Senate to overcome a filibuster — until now. Recently, 12 Republican senators crossed the aisle to vote with Democrats.

Today's bipartisan Senate passage of the Respect for Marriage Act proves our nation is on the brink of reaffirming a fundamental truth: love is love.

I look forward to the House passing this legislation and sending it to my desk, where I will proudly sign it into law.

— President Biden (@POTUS) November 30, 2022

The Senate passed the marriage equality bill 61-36 on November 29. The following Republicans voted in favor of the legislation:

Susan Collins (ME)
Richard Burr (NC)
Lisa Murkowski (AK)
Dan Sullivan (AK)
Roy Blunt (MO)
Rob Portman (OH)
Mitt Romney (UT)
Thom Tillis (NC)
Cynthia Lummis (WY)
Joni Ernst (IA)
Shelley Moore Capito (WV)
Todd Young (IN)

The legislation essentially extends some federal protections to same-sex and interracial marriages. By passing the bill, lawmakers repealed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. However, the legislation stops short of requiring all 50 states to recognize the unions.

If the Supreme Court were to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the Respect for Marriage Act wouldn’t prevent states from banning same-sex unions. Additionally, an amendment added to the bill doesn’t require nonprofit religious organizations to provide services to LGBTQ+ couples. The addition to bill was introduced by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT).