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A2 UP FRONT
Wednesday 20 July 2022
House to vote on same-sex marriage, responding to high court

From Front D-Pa., in a floor speech set- Hawley, R-Mo. “The predi-
ting Tuesday’s process in cate of this is just wrong.
By LISA MASCARO motion. I don’t think the Supreme
WASHINGTON (AP) — The “It’s time for our colleagues Court is going to overturn
U.S. House prepared to across the aisle to stand up any of that stuff.”
vote Tuesday on legislation and be counted. Will they For Republicans in Congress
to protect same-sex and vote to protect these fun- the Trump-era confirmation
interracial marriages amid damental freedoms? Or will of conservative justices to
concerns that the Supreme they vote to let states take the Supreme Court fulfilled
Court ruling overturning those freedoms away?” a long-term GOP goal of
Roe v. Wade abortion ac- But Republicans insisted revisiting many social, en-
cess could jeopardize oth- Tuesday that the court vironmental and regulatory
er rights criticized by many was only focused on abor- issues the party has been
conservative Americans. tion access in June when unable to tackle on its own
With a robust but lopsided it struck down the nearly by passing bills that could
debate, Democrats ar- Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks as an aide puts up a poster 50-year-old Roe v. Wade be signed into law.
gued intensely in favor of depicting a 1974 quote from then Sen. Joe Biden where he said ruling, and they argued But in a notable silence,
enshrining marriage equal- that the Roe v. Wade decision “went too far” during a Senate that same-sex marriage Senate Republican leader
ity in federal law, while Re- Judiciary Committee Hearing to examine a post-Roe America, and other rights were not Mitch McConnell declined
focusing on the legal consequences of the Dobbs decision, on
publicans steered clear of Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, July 12, 2022. threatened. to express his view on the
openly rejecting gay mar- Associated Press In fact, of all the Repub- bill, leaving an open ques-
riage. Instead leading Re- licans who rose to speak tion over how strongly his
publicans portrayed the bill Wary of political fallout, Americans favor preserving during the morning de- party would fight it, if it
as unnecessary amid other GOP leaders did not direct rights to marry whom one bate, almost none directly even comes up for a vote
issues facing the nation. their lawmakers to hold the wishes, regardless of the broached the subject of in the upper chamber.
Tuesday’s election-year party line against the bill, person’s sex, gender, race same-sex or interracial mar- The Respect for Marriage
roll call was partly political aides said. Dozens of Re- or ethnicity, a long-building riage. Act would repeal a law
strategy, forcing all House publicans were expected shift in modern mores to- “We are here for a political from the Clinton era that
members, Republicans to join Democrats in voting ward inclusion. charade, we are here for defines marriage as a het-
and Democrats, to go on for passage. A Gallup poll in June political messaging,” said erogeneous relationship
the record with their views. While the Respect for Mar- showed broad and in- Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, between a man and a
It also reflected the legisla- riage Act is expected to creasing support for same- the top Republican on the woman. It would also pro-
tive branch pushing back pass the House, with a sex marriage, with 70% of Judiciary Committee. vide legal protections for
against an aggressive court Democratic majority, it is U.S. adults saying they think As several Democrats interracial marriages by
that has sparked fears it almost certain to stall in the such unions should be rec- spoke of inequalities they prohibiting any state from
may revisit apparently set- evenly split Senate, where ognized by law as valid. said that they or their loved denying out-of-state mar-
tled U.S. laws. most Republicans would The poll showed majority ones had faced in same- riage licenses and benefits
“For me, this is personal,” likely join a filibuster to block support among both Dem- sex marriages, the Republi- on the basis of sex, race,
said Rep. Mondaire Jones, it. It’s one of several bills, ocrats (83%) and Repub- cans talked about rising gas ethnicity or national origin.
D-N.Y., who said he was including those enshrin- licans (55%).Approval of prices, inflation and crime, The 1996 law, the Defense
among nine openly gay ing abortion access, that interracial marriage in the including recent threats to of Marriage Act, had ba-
members of the House. Democrats are proposing U.S. hit a six-decade high at justices in connection with sically been sidelined by
“Imagine telling the next to confront the court’s con- 94% in September, accord- the abortion ruling. Obama-era court rulings,
generation of Americans, servative majority. Another ing to Gallup. Even if it passed the House including Obergefell v.
my generation, we no bill, guaranteeing access “The extremist right-wing with Republican votes, as Hodges, which established
longer have the right to to contraceptive services, majority on the Supreme seemed likely, the outcome the rights of same-sex cou-
marry,” he said. “Congress is set for a vote later this Court has put our country in the Senate is uncertain. ples to marry nationwide,
can’t allow that to hap- week. down a perilous path,” said “I’m probably not inclined a landmark case for gay
pen.” Polling shows a majority of Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, to support it,” said Sen. Josh rights.q

Highway safety agency running ads in

effort to curb speeding

fic Safety Administration state highways. The agency announced
campaign called “Speed- The Governors Highway the campaign Tuesday at
ing Wrecks Lives” will run on Safety Association, repre- an event in Los Angeles.
television, radio and digi- senting state traffic safety Nearly 43,000 people were
tally, targeting drivers from offices, says the death killed on U.S. roads last year.
ages 18 to 44. trend continued last with That’s the highest number
The agency says 11,258 speed killing nearly 12,000 in 16 years as Americans
people died in speed-re- people in 2021. returned to the highways
lated crashes in 2020, up “Speed-related deaths after the pandemic forced
California Highway Patrol officer Troy Christensen runs a driver’s 17% from 2019 even though aren’t inevitable,” said Ste- many to stay at home.
license after stopping a motorist along Interstate 5 who was there was less traffic on the ven Cliff, NHTSA administra- Traffic deaths rose 10.5%
suspected of speeding on April 23, 2021, in Anaheim, Calif.
Associated Press roads in 2020 because of tor. “They’re preventable, over 2020, the largest per-
the pandemic. Speed con- and everyone has a role in centage increase since the
DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. stemming the rising number tributed to 29% of all fatal addressing this crisis.” National Highway Traffic
government’s road safety of traffic deaths caused by crashes, with 87% of speed- The ads will run in English Safety Administration be-
agency says it will spend speeding. related deaths happening and Spanish and air from gan its fatality data collec-
$8 million on ads aimed at The National Highway Traf- on local roads, not inter- July 20 through Aug. 14. tion in 1975.q