When the Supreme Court overturned Roe, Justice Clarence Thomas made it clear, as my colleague Pema Levy wrote, that he intends to do away with marriage equality, as well. In response, Congress has moved to codify same-sex and interracial marriage into law. Surely, Congress should be able to make that happen with almost no pushback, right? Right?
Well, no. Not exactly. Today, the House is set to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act and enshrine marriage equality in federal law. But that doesn't mean that everyone is on board. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), somewhat predictably, called the bill "the latest installment of the Democrats' campaign to delegitimize and attempt to intimidate the United States Supreme Court."
It's really anyone's guess how the bill will fare in the Senate, where it needs the support of 10 Republicans to pass. Many Republicans are likely to argue that marriage equality should be left to the states. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has reportedly declined to say how he would vote, or whether he'd encourage Republican senators to vote one way or another. We already know how Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) feels about it. But with same-sex marriage and, potentially, contraception on the table, Republicans are soon going to have to reveal their true feelings about some of our country's most basic social rights.
Hmm. Makes me wonder if any politicians have ever hidden behind states' rights in a veiled attempt to pretend they're not bigots.
—Abigail Weinberg