Majority Of Americans Fear SCOTUS Will Overturn Same-Sex Marriage Decision
- By
- Carlos Santoscoy
- | June 28, 2022
A majority of Americans believe the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade makes it more likely that the high court will reverse itself on Obergefell v. Hodges.
The landmark case striking down state laws and constitutional bans limiting marriage to heterosexual couples hit its seventh anniversary on Sunday.
Like Roe, Obergefell was based on a right to privacy.
In an opinion concurring with the majority on the high court to overturn the right to an abortion, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the court should reconsider its decisions in Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell, referring to cases that found a right to contraception, same-sex relationships, and marriage equality, respectively.
According to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist national poll, 56 percent of Americans believe that the Supreme Court's decision also jeopardizes these rights.
A plurality of respondents (42%) said that they are “very concerned” that the Supreme Court will use the decision to reconsider previous rulings, including 89 percent of Democrats and 18 percent of Republicans.
A majority of Americans (57%) also believe the decision to overturn Roe was politically motivated.
"With the midterm elections less than five months away, the decision by SCOTUS has sent shockwaves through the electorate," said Lee M. Miringoff, Director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. "Men are +12 points and women are +18 points more likely to support congressional candidates who pledge to codify the protections of Roe v. Wade. Digging deeper, 63% of women, including 74% of suburban women, are also concerned that the Court’s decision is a harbinger of things to come."
The United States celebrated seven years of nationwide marriage equality on June 26.