After its overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court has led many citizens to feel a sense of discomfort and lack of trust surrounding the idea of another reversal coming to a privacy case. One such case that many are worried about is Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 ruling which legalized same-sex marriage.

Clarence Thomas took the worries a step further as he wrote a concurring opinion on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health ruling stating that the Supreme Court should "reconsider all of this Court's substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell.”

Democratic lawmakers have banded together to introduce legislation in both the House and Senate today with the “Respect of Marriage Act” that would aim to codify Obergefell into law and protect same-sex and interracial marriage.

"As this Court may take aim at other fundamental rights, we cannot sit idly by as the hard-earned gains of the Equality movement are systematically eroded. If Justice Thomas's concurrence teaches anything it's that we cannot let our guard down or the rights and freedoms that we have come to cherish will vanish into a cloud of radical ideology and dubious legal reasoning."

Jerry Nadler, the Judiciary Committee Chairman, said.

The “Defense of Marriage Act” would ultimately be repealed which prevents same-sex married couples from receiving marital benefits in states that do not recognize same-sex marriage. The act attempts to ensure all marriages, hetero or not, are validated by the state. The act also prohibits, "any person acting under color of state law from denying full faith and credit to an out-of-state marriage based on the sex, race, ethnicity or national origin of the individuals in the marriage."

Previously, more so after leak of the Roe v. Wade opinion draft, many Democrats turned to warn of the possible implications of overturning Roe v. Wade. David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat, said, "As Chairman of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, I want the LGBTQ+ community to know that this caucus is fighting for them and their right to live freely. This legislation will protect their marriages and ensure they continue to be recognized, even if a future Supreme Court overturns landmark marriage equality decisions. I am proud of this bill, and I urge Congress to promptly pass this legislation."

The Respect of Marriage Act is set to be voted on this week by the House and is expected to pass. However, it is still very much unclear whether or not Senate Republicans will support the bill, as the vote would need 60 individuals to avoid the filibuster.