before the supreme Court Dismisses Roe v. Wade, Republican Frequently Insisted That the 50-year precedent guaranteeing abortion rights was protected. In fact, they said this even when they were taking steps to reverse it.
“I think there is little chance of a reversal of Rowe v. Wade. I don’t see that happening,” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said in September 2020, before Supreme Court Justice Amy Connie Barrett’s confirmation.
Now Republicans are again downplaying the threat to other rights established by the High Court, including protections for contraception and same-sex marriage.
“I don’t think it’s a real issue. I think Democrats are raising it,” Senate Minority Whip John Thune (RSD) told HuffPost Tuesday when in response to Democratic efforts to protect both rights through legislation. Asked about. “I don’t think there’s anything seeping in there… I think it’s all theater.”
“What’s the danger? Why don’t they respond to issues that people care about?” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said, citing high food and gas costs.
The House on Tuesday passed legislation repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and codifying protections for marriage equality and contraception into federal law. Democrats cited the concurrence of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in the decision, which Roe overturned, as a reason to pass the bills now while setting the safety precedent — something they failed to do for abortions. are.
Thomas wrote That judges should particularly reconsider matters protecting contraceptive access and same-sex relationships, which also hinge on the right to privacy.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a floor speech, “Make no mistake: While his legal argument is distorted and unfounded, it is important that we speak to Justice Thomas – and the extremist movement behind him – in his words.” Take it.” on Tuesday.
Thomas was the only one among the justices urging the Supreme Court to re-examine those issues, but he is not the only conservative to suggest doing so.
Over the weekend, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told the Supreme Court “Was Overreaching” and “Clearly Wrong” When it legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in the landmark 2015 Obergefels v. Hodges decision. Other Republican senators, including John Cornyn (Texas) and Marsha Blackburn (Ten.), have expressed similar views.
Support for same-sex marriage has steadily increased over the past two decades, including among Republicans. Last month, a pew research survey found that a record 71% of Americans believe it should be legal.
The Republican Party has moved on from the culture wars over same-sex marriage in recent years, in favor of other topics such as the so-called critical race theory and discussion of gender identity in schools. A handful of Senate Republicans are publicly in support of same-sex marriage, including Rob Portman (Ohio), Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska). And 47 House Republicans voted Tuesday to defend gay marriage, which suggests some of their counterparts in the Senate may follow suit.
But it’s not clear whether at least 10 Republicans will vote for a bill codifying marriage equality when it comes up for a vote in the Senate. Most GOP senators on Tuesday avoided the question, calling the law unnecessary and dismissing it as an exercise to send a message to Democrats ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Kevin Cramer (R.N.D.) told HuffPost on Tuesday, “Apart from Justice Thomas, I haven’t heard any other justices, that also means they’ll likely do something different.”
He added: “I won’t support it if it’s over.”
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said Democrats are trying to “set their base on fire” by bringing in legislation to address issues he described as “not factually true.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who frequently weighs House bills, declined to take a position on the matter.
“I’m going to delay announcing anything on that issue until we see if [Senate Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer decided to put it on the floor,” McConnell said.
According to Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), it’s unclear whether Democrats will have enough time to put the legislation on the floor for a vote. Democrats are racing this summer to pass bills to boost the semiconductor industry and lower the cost of prescription drugs and health insurance premiums. Some climate advocates want the Senate to take meaningful action to address climate change. And Democrats are under pressure to confirm more judges before this year’s completion.
“We have more priorities than time,” Durbin told reporters on Tuesday.
The month-long August recess of the Senate, and the approaching midterm elections in November, only add to the Democrats’ time crunch. some are democrats push already to shorten the recess, but Durbin noted Tuesday that it needed the agreement of all 50 Democratic senators for that to happen.
