On Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, the United States Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act. This gives many Americans protection over their rights of who they chose to marry, regardless of race or gender.

Marrying a person of the same gender or different race has been ruled as a Constitutional right since 2015 with the court ruling of Obergefell v. Hodges and Loving v. Virginia. But the overturning of Roe v. Wade has shown how rights that were once legally protected by the federal government can now be taken away. This case protected a woman’s right to choose, and now it varies from state to state.

The RFMA was created to negate former president Bill Clinton’s federal law, the Defense of Marriage Act. This was a federal law that was passed on Sept. 16, 1996, that banned same-sex marriage in the United States.

With each state having different laws set before the ruling of Obergefell v. Hodges, if this case was overturned, this would cause the DOMA to be put into effect automatically. 

The RFMA helps people living in certain states to keep these freedoms intact, while some states are planning not to follow in the same footsteps.

Like the aftermath of the overturning of Roe v Wade, it gives states the right to choose what they deem acceptable and not. It allows them to create their own state laws based on their decisions.

According to the bill, churches and other religious organizations have the right to refuse to marry a couple and cannot be sued for this choice. 

“I don’t think anything will happen in my opinion. If the whole thing did happen it would cause riots; it would cause the destruction of property. All it will do is cause people to move to those areas where it is legal,” said senior Greyson Stewart.

The bill is currently in the hands of President Joe Biden, and the outcome of these events can change the lives of many people.