A bill adding protections for people in same-sex or interracial marriages has passed the U.S. Senate and is headed back to the House, where the final OK is expected. President Joe Biden promises to sign the legislation.
A key backer of the bill is Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat. The senator told WUWM's Chuck Quirmbach why the Respect for Marriage Act is needed and how she believes religious freedom is protected.
Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson released a statement saying, "The Respect for Marriage Act is unnecessary as the Obergefell decision is settled law and has no chance of being overturned."
He added, "I supported my GOP colleagues’ amendments that would have added religious liberty protections to the bill, including Senator Lee’s amendment that would have prohibited the federal government from taking discriminatory action against individuals and institutions for their sincerely held religious beliefs on marriage. I would have supported the bill with my colleagues’ language added. However, they were not adopted."
