Washington — Days after voting towards laws final week that may defend marriage equality, Rep. Glenn Thompson, a Republican from Pennsylvania, attended his son's wedding ceremony to a different man.
"Congressman and Mrs. Thompson had been thrilled to attend and have fun their son's marriage on Friday evening as he started this new chapter in his life," Maddison Stone, Thompson's press secretary, advised CBS Information in an e mail. "The Thompsons are very comfortable to welcome their new son-in-law into their household."
Thompson was among the many 157 Republicans within the Home who opposed the Respect for Marriage Act, which, if enacted, would repeal the Clinton-era Protection of Marriage Act, require states to acknowledge same-sex marriages carried out in different states, and supply further federal protections for same-sex and interracial couples. NBC Information earlier reported Thompson's attendance at his son's wedding ceremony.
The measure handed the Home in a bipartisan vote — 47 Republicans supported the invoice — final week and will win sufficient backing from Senate Republicans to beat a filibuster and advance within the evenly cut up higher chamber, although its destiny stays unclear.
The Supreme Courtroom in 2015 stated the Structure ensures the appropriate to same-sex marriage, however Home Democrats moved to enshrine marriage equality into federal legislation within the wake of the excessive courtroom's choice final month that dismantled the constitutional proper to an abortion established beneath Roe v. Wade.
In a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas referred to as on the Supreme Courtroom to rethink its selections involving entry to contraception and same-sex marriages, which relied on the identical authorized rationale as Roe, elevating considerations amongst Democrats that these rights may very well be subsequent to come back beneath risk by the courtroom's 6-3 conservative majority.
Whereas no different justice joined Thomas's opinion, and Justice Samuel Alito, writing for almost all, careworn the opinion shouldn't be learn to "solid doubt on precedents that don't concern abortion," Democrats moved swiftly to reply the courtroom's conservative justices with payments defending entry to contraception and marriage equality.
Some Republicans, although, have criticized the Respect for Marriage Act as pointless and a difficulty that needs to be left to the states.
Stone, Thompson's press secretary, advised the Centre Every day Instances in an e mail final week that the invoice was an election-year "messaging stunt" for Democrats "who've failed to deal with historic inflation and uncontrolled costs at gasoline pumps and grocery shops."