Defense of Marriage Act in Danger

According to Congressman John Conyers, a Democrat from Michigan, the House Judiciary Committee has enough votes to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (also known as “DOMA”).  The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act prevents the federal government from treating a same-sex relationship as a legitimate marriage for any purpose.  Additionally, this federal law exempts states from the obligation to treat relationships between persons of the same sex as marriage, even when the relationship may be considered a marriage in another state.

 During a weekend interview with the Michigan Messenger, Conyers, the House Judiciary Committee Chairman, was questioned as to whether the votes were there to repeal this federal law.  Conyers stated the following:“[w]ell in my committee, yes, but in the House and Senate, that's a different question."

The Defense of Marriage Act was initially passed by Congress with a vote of 85 to 14 in the Senate and a vote of 342 to 67 in the House of Representatives, and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on September 21, 1996.   In order for this law to be overturned in the House and Senate, the House Judiciary Committee would have to be the first to approve a Defense of Marriage Act repeal bill. 

Since the passage of the Defense of Marriage Act, many states have given same-sex couples a right to marry through the states’ judiciary and legislative branches.  The repeal of DOMA could force all states to treat same-sex relationships as a marriage, if the relationship is considered a marriage in any other state.  This could have devastating consequences for states, such as California, that have defined marriage as a relationship between one man and one woman.

This information is provided by Advocates for Faith and Freedom, a non-profit religious law firm dedicated to protecting religious liberty in the courts!  To help us in our ongoing battle for religious freedom, click here to donate to Advocates.