U.S. House passes bill protecting marriage equality Transcript

Speaker 1: (00:00) Gentlemen from New York Reserves. The gentleman from [crosstalk 00:00:02]. Speaker 2: (00:02) The US House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday granting federal protections to same sex and interracial marriages. Nancy Pelosi: (00:09) With a landmark respect for marriage act, we ensure that marriage equality remains the law of the land now and for generations to come. Speaker 2: (00:18) That comes after the Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion in June, which had been in place for 50 years. The decision to strike down the landmark 1973 Roe versus Wade ruling threatens similar precedents, protecting rights to same sex relations and contraception. That's after Justice Clarence Thomas questioned other past rulings that he said used the same legal arguments as Roe. House speaker Nancy Pelosi called out Thomas as well as congressional Republicans who supported him. Nancy Pelosi: (00:48) Make no mistake while his legal reasoning is twisted and unsound, it is crucial that we take Justice Thomas and the extremist movement behind him at their word. This is what they intend to do. Speaker 2: (01:04) While Republican Congressman Jim Jordan decried the new bill as a Democrat scare tactic. Jim Jordan: (01:09) This bill is simply the latest installment of the Democrats' campaign to de-legitimize and attempt to intimidate the United States Supreme Court. Speaker 2: (01:18) Tuesday's bill prohibits denying a marriage's validity based on race or sex. But while it passed, the democratic controlled chamber with support from 47 Republicans, it faces unclear odds going into the evenly divided Senate for a vote where it would need 60 to pass. And if the Supreme Court does overturn its prior ruling, states could still restrict gay marriage. However, those states would still be required to recognize marriages that occurred in states where they remain legal. Speaker 2: (01:47) The House will also vote Thursday on a bill to guarantee nationwide access to contraception. Democrats are hoping the bills will draw a contrast to Republicans ahead of the November midterm elections in which soaring inflation challenges Democrats' majority hold on both the House and the Senate.