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Senate Judiciary Committee Votes to Repeal DOMA

  • Religion Today Religious persecution, missions, Christianity around the world
  • Updated Mar 11, 2013

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted 10-8 along party lines for a bill that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, the Christian Post reports. Under DOMA, same-sex marriages or civil unions recognized by states are not recognized under federal law, and states that don't recognize same-sex marriage are not required to recognize same-sex marriages from other states. "I believe that DOMA is discriminatory and should be stripped, in its entirety, from federal law," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the author of the Respect for Marriage Act of 2011. Proponents of Feinstein's bill argued it was necessary to advance equality for gays, but opponents argued that favoring the traditional definition of marriage was preferable for raising children and supporting family stability. DOMA was passed in 1996 with strong bipartisan support and signed by President Bill Clinton. Current President Barack Obama supported DOMA as a candidate in 2008, but has ruled this year that the Justice Department will no longer defend it in court cases because he believes it to be unconstitutional. Seven states now allow same-sex marriages or civil unions.