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Statement

Moms Cheer as President Biden Signs Respect for Marriage Act Into Law

December 13, 2022

Lisa Lederer, 202/371-1996

Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO of MomsRising, the online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on President Biden signing the Respect for Marriage Act into law this afternoon:

“Our nation is more fair and will be more successful now that the Respect for Marriage Act is law. This badly needed law reaffirms the freedom to marry the person you love. It protects the marriages of same-sex and interracial couples, repeals the discriminatory, deceptively named Defense of Marriage Act, and makes federal benefits available to married couples no matter which state they live in.

“Today’s signing protects LGBTQ+ families across the country from a U.S. Supreme Court that showed, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, that it will not protect our most fundamental liberties and does not respect precedent. But lawmakers’ work is not done. We also need Congress to protect our freedom to make our own decisions about when and how many children to have, and our access to reproductive health care by codifying Roe v. Wade.

“In addition, America’s moms will continue pressing Congress to pass the Equality Act, to provide federal protections against discrimination targeting the LGBTQ+ community. And we will continue demanding that federal, state and local lawmakers reject, once and for all, every cruel, hateful piece of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that institutionalizes discrimination. Too many trans children and their families face government-sponsored hate and discrimination. That must end.”

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.