Post by Genichiro on Jun 26, 2013 17:24:37 GMT -5
Today, the Supreme Court of the United States made an historic, far reaching decision in it's ruling on the case against DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act. Signed into law in 1996, the Defense of Marriage Act set it so that the Federal Government of the US would not recognize some sex marriages, and, as a result, deny wedded same-sex couples the benefits given to heterosexual couples. Besides tax breaks and other incentives, this also made it so that illegal married immigrants in same sex couples could be deported, regardless of existing state laws that legalized gay marriage.
Today's decision removes federal discrimination against marriage, allowing couples who are legally married in states with same-sex marriage laws to have full benefits. It stops short of making same-sex marriage legal in the United States as a whole (a law known as the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal DOMA in full, would make gay-marriage in the United States as a whole legal).
In addition to DOMA being struck down, California's Marriage Ban, Proposition 8, was also struck down, making it legal for same-sex couples to marry once again in California, and with DOMA being struck down, grants California same-sex couples full legal recognition by both the state and federal government.
For now, same-sex marriage is not the law of the land of the US, not yet. The fight at both the state and federal levels continue. Hopefully, in time, the United States will come to join other countries of the world where same-sex marriage is legal, but today is an historic, important milestone in this fight. Hopefully the first of many for progress.
Today's decision removes federal discrimination against marriage, allowing couples who are legally married in states with same-sex marriage laws to have full benefits. It stops short of making same-sex marriage legal in the United States as a whole (a law known as the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal DOMA in full, would make gay-marriage in the United States as a whole legal).
In addition to DOMA being struck down, California's Marriage Ban, Proposition 8, was also struck down, making it legal for same-sex couples to marry once again in California, and with DOMA being struck down, grants California same-sex couples full legal recognition by both the state and federal government.
For now, same-sex marriage is not the law of the land of the US, not yet. The fight at both the state and federal levels continue. Hopefully, in time, the United States will come to join other countries of the world where same-sex marriage is legal, but today is an historic, important milestone in this fight. Hopefully the first of many for progress.