The US Senate voted last week on a law that protects same-sex marriage. This was announced by the Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, after reaching an agreement between the elected officials of both parties.
In the United States, same-sex unions have been upheld by the Supreme Court since 2015. But after the high court’s historic turn on abortion, many progressives fear that this right too will be undone.
In mid-July of the current year, the House of Representatives passed a bill to protect these unions across the country. All Democrats and 47 Republicans supported the bill, but nearly 160 Republicans opposed it.
In the Senate, negotiations had been going on for weeks to get the support of at least 10 Republicans for the text, which is necessary for its approval due to the qualified majority rules. A group of senators from both parties announced on Monday that an agreement had been reached in this regard.
A first procedural vote on this text, which also protects interracial couples, was scheduled to be held last Wednesday, Schumer said, urging the conservative opposition to unite around the bill, which he described as “extremely important”. The Republican leader Mitch McConnell -who is likely to influence many votes on his side-has not yet commented on whether he voted in favor or not. A large majority of Americans support same-sex marriage, even in Republican ranks. But the religious right continues to oppose it overwhelmingly and adamantly.
