Voice of America
02 Jul 2022, 15:05 GMT+10
BIRMINGHAM, ALA. - Emails and phone calls from same-sex couples worried about the legal status of their marriages and keeping their children flooded attorney Sydney Duncan's office within hours of the Supreme Court's decision eliminating the constitutional right to abortion.
The ruling last week didn't directly affect the 2015 decision that paved the way for same-sex marriage. But, Duncan said, it was still a warning shot for families headed by same-sex parents who fear their rights could evaporate like those of people seeking to end a pregnancy.
"That has a lot of people scared and, I think, rightfully so," said Duncan, who specializes in representing members of the LGBTQ community at the Magic City Legal Center in Birmingham.
Overturning a nearly 50-year-old precedent, the Supreme Court ruled in a Mississippi case that abortion wasn't protected by the Constitution, a decision likely to lead to bans in about half the states. Justice Samuel Alito said the ruling involved only the medical procedure, writing: "Nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion."
But conservative Justice Clarence Thomas called on his colleagues to reconsider cases that allowed same-sex marriage, gay sex and contraception.
The court's three most liberal members warn in their dissent that the ruling could be used to challenge other personal freedoms: "Either the mass of the majority's opinion is hypocrisy, or additional constitutional rights are under threat. It is one or the other."
That prospect alarms some LGBTQ couples, who worry about a return to a time when they lacked equal rights to married heterosexual couples under the law. Many, fearful that their marital status is in danger, are moving now to square away potential medical, parental and estate issues.
Dawn Betts-Green and wife Anna Green didn't waste time shoring up their legal paperwork after the decision. They've already visited a legal clinic for families with same-sex parents to start the process of making a will.
"That way, if they blast us back to the Dark Ages again, we have legal protections for our relationship," said Betts-Green, who works with an Alabama-based nonprofit that documents the history of LGBTQ people in the South.
As a white woman married to a Black transgender man, Robbin Reed of Minneapolis feels particularly vulnerable. A decision undermining same-sex marriage or interracial unions would completely upend Reed's life, which includes the couple's 3-month-old child.
"I have no expectation that anything about my marriage is safe," said Reed, a legal aide.
Reed's employer, Sarah Breiner of the Breiner Law Firm, is setting up seminars in both the Twin Cities and the Atlanta area to help same-sex couples navigate potential legal needs after the court's decision. Breiner said helping people remain calm about the future is part of her job these days.
"We don't know what might happen, and that's the problem," Breiner said.
In a sign of what could come, the state of Alabama already has cited the abortion ruling in asking a federal appeals court to let it enforce a new state law that makes it a felony for doctors to prescribe puberty blockers and hormones to trans people under age 19. The decision giving states the power to restrict abortion means states should also be able to ban medical treatments for transgender youth, the state claimed.
Any attempt to undo same-sex marriage would begin with a lawsuit, and any possible rollback is years away since no major legal threat is on the horizon, said Cathryn Oakley, senior counsel and state legislative director with the Washington-based Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy organization.
"This is definitely a scary moment and people are nervous, but peoples' marriages are still safe," Oakley said.
Although the threat to same-sex couples feels particularly acute in conservative states, Oakley said she's heard of people all over the country in recent days seeking second-parent adoptions, which protect a family by having the names of both adoptive parents on the birth certificate. People also are completing medical directives in case one spouse is incapacitated and doing general estate planning, she said.
Ryanne Seyba's law firm in Hollywood, Florida, is offering free second-parent adoptions, which are similar to step-parent adoptions, for qualified same-sex couples to help ease some of the stress caused by the possible ripple effects of the abortion decision.
"We realized last week when (the ruling) came out we needed to do something," said Seyba of The Upgrade Lawyers.
A judge in Broward County plans to have a special day in August to finalize all the adoptions at once, Seyba said. If nothing else, completing the process should give nervous families more security, she said.
"If gay marriage goes away, we don't really know what's going to happen," she said. "It's better to be on the safe side.'
Get a daily dose of Tuscaloosa Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Tuscaloosa Times.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - Stocks were largely higher on Friday with all the indices notching up daily and weekly gains. Steadying the markets...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Stores that sell secondhand clothes, shoes, and accessories might actually benefit from President Trump's...
CHICAGO, Illinois: Motorola Solutions rolled out a new multi-functional device aimed at streamlining emergency response for law enforcement...
HANOI, Vietnam: Vietnam's government has ordered stricter oversight of goods headed to the United States and other major markets, aiming...
TOKYO, Japan: Japan had a trade deficit in the past fiscal year, but made a trade surplus with the U.S., the Finance Ministry said...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks made ground on Thursday as U.S. President Donald Trump said he was meeting with China soon. The...
(Photo credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images) Coming off a couple of very different race weekends, NASCAR arrives at Talladega Superspeedway...
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe was selected by the Seahawks in the 3rd round of the 2025 NFL Draft. byAri Horton&John Boyle This...
Patrik Walker FRISCO, TexasWith the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft being assigned to the offensive side of the ball by the Dallas...
Dan Hoard *This story will be updated* Pick:(Round Two, 49th Overall) Name:Demetrius Knight Hometown:Locust Grove, Georgia...
Somos Cowboys FRISCO, TexasEn el da uno del NFL draft 2025, los Dallas Cowboys seleccionaron al guardia de Alabama Tyler Booker,...
Patrik Walker FRISCO, TexasHaving only 12 first-round grades on the incoming class of prospects that made their way into the 2025...