Most Americans Say Congress Must Protect Same-Sex Marriage And Contraception, Poll Finds

Topline

The majority of Americans believe Congress should protect same-sex marriage and birth control access, according to a new Morning Consult/Politico poll released Monday, as the Senate gears up for bills to codify them under federal law.

75% of Americans believe Congress should protect birth control access, while 58% say they should … [+] pass a bill to protect same-sex marriage, according to a new poll. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

58% of respondents believe Congress should act on a bill to protect same-sex marriage, including 75% of Democrats and 36% of Republicans, according to the poll.

An even greater percentage (75%) said Congress should protect birth control access, including 87% of Democrats and 62% of Republicans, while 57% of respondents want Congress to protect abortion (78% of Democrats and 31% of Republicans).

The poll comes one week after the House of Representatives passed bills codifying the right to same-sex marriage and contraceptives, bringing both issues to the Senate, where the Democrats who have proposed bills face a much bigger hurdle getting 10 Republicans to join to overcome the filibuster.

What We Don’t Know

If enough Senate Republicans will vote on the two bills for them to pass. Five have indicated they will support the same-sex initiative, and 10 are needed to overcome the filibuster. As for the contraceptives bill, most Senate Republicans have either stayed quiet or opposed it.

Key Background

Even though the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health did not apply to anything other than the right to abortion, Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurring opinion sparked fear the court could remove protections by revisiting the 1964 Griswold v. Connecticut case that protects the right to marital privacy and contraceptives, as well as Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which legalized same-sex marriage.

What To Watch For

A vote on the two bills before the Senate’s recess begins August 8.

Surprising Fact

Some 71% of respondents said they would support a Congressional bill to protect interracial marriage, including 83% of Democrats and 56% of Republicans. Interracial marriage was not one of the issues Thomas included in his concurring opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization of upcoming cases to “correct the error” the court had made. Thomas, who is Black, is in an interracial marriage.