
(CNSNews.com) - The text of the Respect for Marriage Act that will come up for a final vote in the Senate this week includes language to clarify that it does not require the federal government to recognize “marriages between more than 2 individuals” but only “marriages” between 2 individuals of the same sex.
Section 7 (b) of the bill carries the heading: “No Federal Recognition of Polygamous Marriages.”
This section says: “Nothing in this Act, or any amendment made by this Act, shall be construed to require or authorize Federal recognition of marriages between more than 2 individuals.”

The bill does not say that marriage is the union of one man and one women, but instead describes marriage as “between 2 individuals.”
The bill says: “For purposes of Federal law, rule, or regulation in which marital status is a factor, an individual shall be considered married if that individual’s marriage is between 2 individuals and is valid in the State where the marriage was entered into or, in the case of a marriage entered into outside any State, if the marriage is between 2 individuals and is valid in the place where it was entered into and the marriage could have been entered into in a State.”