Biden signs same-sex marriage bill into federal law

President Joe Biden on Tuesday afternoon signed the so-called Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA), which enshrines same-sex marriage in federal law. The bill requires every state to recognize same-sex marriages, though it does not say every state must allow same-sex marriage. The bill passed the Senate with the votes of 12 Republicans and all 50 Democrats after some protections for religious liberty were added. More robust protections for religious liberty were proposed as amendments to the bill but were ultimately not added. 

What will this change? The new law does not currently change much related to the pactice of same-sex marriage, said Jay Richards, a fellow for the Heritage Foundation. It does provide federal protection for same-sex marriage in case the Supreme Court overturns Obergefell v. Hodges. But the new law will likely make it difficult for businesses and religious institutions that aren’t churches to express their beliefs on same-sex marriage, Richards said. The new marriage law contains a religious liberty amendment to protect an individual’s beliefs about marriage, but Richards said the law does not necessarily protect the exercise of those beliefs.

Dig deeper: Listen to Nick Eicher and Myrna Brown’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about what RFMA means for evangelical Christians.