Stewart Perrie
A Republican politician has broken down in tears while trying to encourage her colleagues to vote against a same-sex marriage bill.
Lawmakers in the US House of Representatives were asked to vote on the Respect for Marriage Act that would protect marriage equality.
The move comes decades after US Congress declared marriage was between a man and a woman.
State and federal governments will now have to recognize same-sex and interracial marriages.
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They will be prevented from denying the validity of a married couple based on sex, race or ethnicity.
According to The Guardian, the final vote was 258 for the bill and 169 against.
One of the people against the bill was Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler.
The Missouri lawmaker gave a passionate speech before voting got underway and it seemed she was so against marriage equality that she struggled to hold back tears.
“This is yet another step toward the Democrats goal of dismantling the traditional family, silencing voices of faith and permanently undoing our country’s God-woven foundation,” the Congresswoman said.
"I hope and pray that my colleagues will find the courage to join me in opposing this misguided and this dangerous bill."
Business Insider said the Republican spent two minutes ripping into the proposed bill.
She warned the legislation will 'hand the federal government a legal bludgeoning tool to drive people of faith out of the public square and silence anyone who dissents'.
But she was certainly in the minority as the bill ended up passing. Now, it will go to US President Joe Biden to be officially signed in.
Biden praised the House for protecting same-sex couples, as well as those in interracial marriages.
“Today, Congress took a critical step to ensure that Americans have the right to marry the person they love,” the US President said.
“The House’s bipartisan passage of the Respect for Marriage Act – by a significant margin – will give peace of mind to millions of LGBTQI+ and interracial couples who are now guaranteed the rights and protections to which they and their children are entitled.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi added: "At last we have history in the making
“Not only are we on the right side of history, we’re on the right side of the future: expanding freedom in America.”
The Guardian reports the bill had significant 'momentum' after the Supreme Court wound back abortion rights in the US and there were fears the same could be done to same-sex marriage legislation.