Source: Policy Watch
In 2015 the US Supreme Court’s decision in the Obergefell v. Hodges established same-sex marriage as a constitutional right. And according to the US Census Bureau, there are now over 700,000 same-sex married households in the US. However, since the decision overturning Roe v. Wade, those families have reason to worry that their rights may be next to be taken away.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his concurring opinion in the overturning of Roe that, “In future cases, we should reconsider all of this court’s substantive due process precedents, Including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell.”
According to a recent Meredith College poll, a majority of Americans are against removing the rights of same-sex couples.
NC Policy Watch recently reported that:
56% of respondents to the Meredith Poll said they favor a federal law protecting the rights of same-sex couples to marry
78% of self-identified Democratic respondents said they would support such a federal law
33% of self-identified Republican respondents said they would support such a federal law
59% of self-identified unaffiliated respondents said they would support such a law
There are currently 382,000 LGBTQ+ people living in North Carolina who are now having to contemplate what they will do if they lose their constitutional rights. This midterm election is going to be crucial. Since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, it is now up to the state legislature and courts to decide. North Carolina should be a place where the freedom to make intimate personal decisions, like whether and when to expand your family or who to marry, is not restricted but protected.
