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Hillary Clinton warns SCOTUS 'will do to gay marriage what they did to abortion'

Hillary Clinton Global Initiative summit in New York 2023
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Hillary Clinton warns SCOTUS will 'will do to gay marriage what they did to abortion'

"Anybody in a committed relationship out there in the LGBTQ community, you ought to consider getting married," Clinton said.

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Hillary Clinton believes the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn marriage equality, and she's urging LGBTQ+ couples to get married while they still can.

The former Secretary of State and presidential candidate predicted that the court would reverse Obergefell v. Hodges in an interview with Jessica Tarlov of Fox News' The Five, warning that "there are going to be real world consequences."

"American voters, and to some extent the American media, don't understand how many years the Republicans have been working in order to get us to this point," Clinton said. "It took 50 years to overturn Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court will hear a case about gay marriage. My prediction is they will do to gay marriage what they did to abortion. They will send it back to the states."

@thetnholler

WATCH: @HillaryClinton predicts to @JessicaTarlov that SCOTUS will overturn marriage equality and “send it back to the states” (like abortion) — leading to a ban in much of 🇺🇸 On Trump & Republicans stealing seats: “they don’t want a fair fight” Full: https://youtu.be/L4h9wllCtLo?si=QSnQgAPUvel8b9HI

If the Supreme Court reverses Obergefell , marriages between same-sex couples will still be recognized federally under the Respect for Marriage Act. Signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022, the act mandates that the federal government recognizes same-sex and interracial marriages, and that all states recognize those performed in other states.

The act does not require states to allow marriages between same-sex couples. As state bans on these unions were struck down in Obergefell, such bans could be enacted again if Obergefell is overturned. If that were to happen, the fallout would likely be similar to that after Roe v. Wade's reversal, in which red states immediately enacted bans.

Related: Will marriage equality be overturned? Here's how it could happen

While the Supreme Court has made no official move to reconsider marriage equality, nine states have recently introduced resolutions asking the court to hear the case again. None have yet passed, and even if they were to, the resolutions are nonbinding — meaning they carry no legal weight, and the court is not obligated to hear them.

However, some justices have voiced opposition to Obergefell even after the ruling. When the conservative majority created by Donald Trump overturned Roe v. Wade, Clarence Thomas wrote in his concurring opinion at the time that the court should also revisit and overrule decisions that prevent state restrictions on contraception, marriage equality, sodomy, and other private consensual sex acts, calling the rulings "demonstrably erroneous."

"Anybody in a committed relationship out there in the LGBTQ community, you ought to consider getting married," Clinton continued. "'Cause I don't think they'll undo existing marriages, but I fear that they will undo the national right."

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Ryan Adamczeski

Ryan is a reporter at The Advocate, and a graduate of New York University Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing, with a focus in television writing and comedy. She first became a published author at the age of 15 with her YA novel "Someone Else's Stars," and is now a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics, and the IRE, the society of Investigative Reporters and Editors. Her first cover story, "Meet the young transgender teens changing America and the world," has been nominated for Outstanding Print Article at the 36th GLAAD Media Awards. In her free time, Ryan likes watching the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild, listening to the Beach Boys, and practicing witchcraft.
Ryan is a reporter at The Advocate, and a graduate of New York University Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing, with a focus in television writing and comedy. She first became a published author at the age of 15 with her YA novel "Someone Else's Stars," and is now a member of GALECA, the LGBTQ+ society of entertainment critics, and the IRE, the society of Investigative Reporters and Editors. Her first cover story, "Meet the young transgender teens changing America and the world," has been nominated for Outstanding Print Article at the 36th GLAAD Media Awards. In her free time, Ryan likes watching the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild, listening to the Beach Boys, and practicing witchcraft.