The debate about the debt ceiling has dominated the news for the last couple of weeks. As a result, many people missed a significant news story last week. The Senate Judiciary Committee held the first hearing ever held to consider abolishing The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Michael Foust reports:
Wednesday’s hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee marked the first time any Senate or House committee ever held a hearing on overturning the 1996 law, which defines marriage for federal purposes as between a man and a woman and gives states the option of not recognizing another state’s gay “marriages.” Gay groups view its reversal as the first step toward redefining marriage in all 50 states.
The Respect for Marriage Act (S. 598), endorsed by President Obama, would overturn the 15-year-old-law, often called “DOMA.”
Although the repeal of DOMA has very little chance of passing the current congress, this is a noteworthy milestone. Revisionists are forcing the issue, and members of congress are going to have to come down one way or the other on marriage. Read the rest here. Watch the hearing on C-Span here.
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