Birmingham, Alabama (AP) —E-mails and phone calls from same-sex couples worried about their legal status in marriage and maintaining their children are within hours of the Supreme Court’s decision to abolish the Constitution of lawyer Sydney Duncan. The office was flooded. Right to abortion..
Last week’s ruling did not directly influence the 2015 decision that paved the way for same-sex marriage. But according to Duncan, it was still a warning shot for families led by same-sex parents, for families who feared that their rights would evaporate, such as those trying to end their pregnancy. That is.
Duncan, who specializes in representing members of the LGBTQ community at the Magic City Legal Center in Birmingham, said:
Overturning a case almost 50 years ago, the Supreme Court ruled in a Mississippi case that abortion was not protected by the Constitution. decision May lead to a ban on Half of the state.. Judge Samuel Alito said the judgment was only related to medical procedures, “in this opinion it should be understood that nothing casts doubt on cases unrelated to abortion.” ..
But conservative judge Clarence Thomas called on his colleagues: Rethink the case It enabled same-sex marriage, homosexual sex and contraception.
The three most liberal members of the court have warned in opposition that the ruling could be used to challenge the freedom of other individuals. Either one. “
The outlook warns some LGBTQ couples who are worried about returning to an era that lacked equal rights to heterosexual couples married under the law. Many are now working to solve potential medical, parental, and property problems for fear that their marriage status is at stake.
Dawn Betts-Green and his wife Anna Green did not waste time doing legal paperwork after the decision. They have already visited a legal clinic for families with same-sex parents and have begun the process of making a will.
“That way, if they go back to the Dark Ages, we can legally protect our relationship,” says Alabama, a historical record of the LGBTQ people in the South. Betts-Green, who works with nonprofits, said.
As a white woman married to a black trans-gender man, Robin Reid in Minneapolis finds it particularly vulnerable. Decisions that undermine same-sex or interracial marriage will completely overturn Reed’s life, including the couple’s three-month-old child.
“I don’t think anything is safe about my marriage,” said Reed, a legal aide.
Reed’s employer, Sarah Breiner, a Breiner law firm, has held seminars in both the Twin Cities and Atlanta regions to help same-sex couples meet their potential legal needs after a court decision. .. Breiner said helping people stay calm about the future is part of her recent work.
“I don’t know what will happen. That’s the problem,” Breiner said.
As a sign of what could happen, Alabama has already cited an abortion ruling asking the Federal Court of Appeals to enforce it. New state law It is a felony for doctors to prescribe puberty suppressants and hormones to transgender people under the age of 19. The decision to empower the state to limit abortion argued that the state could also ban the treatment of transgender youth.
The Washington-based Human Rights Campaign said the potential for rollbacks was years ahead, as attempts to revoke same-sex marriage began with proceedings and no major legal threat was imminent. Said Catherine Oakley, Senior Advisor and Director of the State Legislative Bureau. LGBTQ advocacy group.
“This is definitely a horrifying moment and people are nervous, but their marriage is still safe,” Oakley said.
While the threat to same-sex couples feels particularly serious in conservative states, Oakley seeks a second-parent adoption to protect the family by listing the names of both adoptive parents on the birth certificate. He said he’s been listening to people all over the country lately. She said that people have also completed medical instructions in case a spouse is incapacitated and has a general real estate plan.
Ryanne Seyba’s law firm in Hollywood, Florida, said to qualified same-sex couples, as well as adoption of parents-in-law, to relieve some of the stress caused by the potential ripple effects of an abortion decision. Offers free second parent adoption.
“Last week, when the decision came out, we realized we needed to do something,” said Upgrade Attorney Ceiba.
Broward County judges are planning to have a special day in August to complete all adoptions at once, Mr. Ceiba said. She said that completing the process should give more security to the nervous family, if nothing else.
“I really don’t know what happens when gay marriages are gone,” she said. “You should be on the safe side.”
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The Associated Press writer Kim Chandler of Montgomery contributed to this report.