Washington: President Joe Biden promised to sign historic legislation that the US Congress enacted on Thursday to guarantee same-sex marriage under federal law.
Less than 10 days after the Senate passed the same package, the House of Representatives voted on it and saw 39 Republicans join a united Democratic majority in a rare display of bipartisanship.
Biden stated in a statement that “Congress took a key step today to ensuring that Americans have the freedom to marry the person they love.”He claimed that the unanimous vote will “provide comfort to millions of LGBTQI+ and inter-racial couples who are now given the rights and protections to which they and their children are entitled.”
Long-standing abortion rights were invalidated by the conservative-led Supreme Court in June, which prompted lawmakers from both parties to take action to stop the court from removing same-sex marriage rights, as some thought it may do.
Prior to Thursday’s vote, the House had already enacted legislation that was nearly identical to the Senate’s. Marriage equality has been listed as one of Vice President Biden’s legislative objectives, and he has promised to “promptly and proudly” sign the legislation into law.The historic vote was praised by Democrats and others.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted on Thursday, “I began my career fighting for LGBTQ communities, and now, one of the final measures that I will sign as Speaker will ensure that the federal government never again stands in the way of marrying the person you love.”
The Respect for Marriage Act, a recent piece of legislation, calls for governments to recognise marriages that were valid in the state where they were performed even though same-sex unions are not required to be legal.
