Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
House Protects Same-Sex Marriage; Birth Control Vote May Be Up Next
The House on Tuesday passed a bill that would recognize same-sex marriages at the federal level, with a bipartisan coalition supporting a measure that addresses growing concerns that a conservative Supreme Court could nullify marriage equality. Forty-seven Republicans joined Democrats in backing the bill, the Respect for Marriage Act, which would codify the federal protections for same-sex couples that were put in place in 2015, when the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges established same-sex marriage as a right under the 14th Amendment. (Lai, 7/19)
Tuesday’s bipartisan vote proves a striking evolution on the issue of same-sex marriage for members of both parties. Just a decade ago, Democratic Vice President Joe Biden got castigated for announcing his support for gay marriage before the sitting president, Barack Obama, had announced his own views on the issue. More than a decade before that, Biden helped pass the Defense of Marriage Act in the Senate, while House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) joined 116 Democrats supporting it in the House. (Sotomayor, Ann Caldwell and Kane, 7/19)
While 47 Republicans voted in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act, the majority—157 in total—opposed the measure. Seven Republicans didn't vote. No Democrats voted against the measure. (Strozewski, 7/19)
