The House gave final approval Thursday to protections for same-sex marriages, and the bill is awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature.
Biden is expected to promptly sign the measure, which requires all states to recognize same-sex marriages, a relief for hundreds of thousands of couples who have married since the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision that legalized those marriages nationwide.
The bipartisan legislation, which passed 258-169 with almost 40 Republican votes, would also protect interracial unions by requiring states to recognize legal marriages regardless of “sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin.”
Congressman Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., who was the object of tremendous public scorn when he voted against the act before attending his son’s gay wedding, released a statement Thursday.
“Individuals have the freedom and the right to choose who to grow old with in life. However, the bill lacks the appropriate constitutional protections for religious liberties enshrined in the First Amendment.”
That was the same criticism leveled by U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., who didn’t support the measure, saying it threatens religious liberty.
“This legislation would enable activists to sue faith-based groups that provide vital services for our communities in an attempt to force them to abandon their deeply held beliefs about marriage, or close their doors,” the senator said. “The Respect for Marriage Act does not provide any meaningful benefit to same-sex marriages that does not already exist. It does significantly threaten religious liberty.”
Pennsylvania’s Democratic Sen. Bob Casey applauded the bill.
“The right to marriage is sacred and one that should be afforded to every American. At a time when personal rights and freedoms are increasingly under attack, the Senate has taken action to protect Americans’ right to marry whom they love,” Casey said. “I’m proud to vote for the Respect for Marriage Act and I will continue to fight for full equality for the LGBTQ community. Discrimination has no place in our country.”
