House Republicans last night voted against a bill that would enshrine protections for gay marriage after a Supreme Court opinion signaled marriage equality rights could be at risk

Last night, every North Carolina U.S. House Republican, including Congressman Ted Budd, voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which would enshrine marriage equality in federal law, repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and provide additional protections for marriage equality.

“After a conservative Supreme Court opinion signaled that same-sex marriage could be targeted as conservative justices paved the way for Republican lawmakers to make abortion illegal, it’s appalling that every North Carolina U.S. House Republican, including Ted Budd, voted against legislation to protect marriage equality. While Democrats have once again voted to protect North Carolinians’ rights, many Republicans are actively trying to make it possible to take away our freedoms – whether that’s the freedom to marry the person you love or the freedom to make your own health care decisions,” said NCDP Spokesperson Ellie Dougherty. 

Last night’s vote on the Respect for Marriage Act follows the Supreme Court’s decision to ignore 50 years of precedent to overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to outlaw abortion, and potentially target other rights, such as the right to same sex-marriage and the right to contraception. Despite these clear threats to North Carolinians’ fundamental rights, every North Carolina U.S. House Republican voted against legislation to protect marriage equality from conservative judges, just weeks after the entire Republican U.S. House delegation from North Carolina voted against bills to protect abortion rights and prevent states from penalizing women for travelling across state lines to access health care.

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