A city in Alabama Within hours of the Supreme Court ruling, emails and phone calls from same-sex couples flooded Duncan's office.
The decision that paved the way for same-sex marriage wasn't affected by the ruling last week. It was still a warning shot for families headed by same-sex parents who fear their rights could be in danger like those of people who want to end a pregnancies.
"That has a lot of people scared and, I think, rightfully so," said Duncan, who specializes in representing members of the LGBTQ community.
The Supreme Court ruled in a Mississippi case that abortion isn't protected by the Constitution, which could lead to bans in about half the states. Justice Samuel Alito wrote that there was nothing in the opinion to cast doubt on precedents that did not concern abortion.
Same-sex marriage, gay sex and contraceptives were allowed in some cases.
Three of the court's most liberal members warn in their dissent that the ruling could be used to challenge other personal freedoms. Is it one or the other?
Some LGBTQ couples worry about a return to a time when they didn't have the same rights as heterosexual couples. Many people are moving to square away potential medical, parental and estate issues because they fear that their marriage is in jeopardy.
Anna Green and her mother-in-law, Dawn Betts-Green, didn't waste time preparing their legal paperwork after the decision. They went to a legal clinic to make a will for same-sex couples.
If they blast us back to the Dark Ages, we have legal protections for our relationship, Betts-Green said.
Robbin Reed is a white woman married to a black man. Reed's life would be ruined if a decision was made to undermine same-sex marriage or interracial unions.
Reed said that she has no expectation that her marriage is safe.
Sarah Breiner is setting up seminars in the Twin Cities and Atlanta area to help same-sex couples navigate potential legal needs after the court's decision. She said she helps people stay calm about the future.
The problem is that we don't know what's going to happen
The state of Alabama has asked a federal appeals court to allow it to enforce a new state law that makes it a felony for doctors to prescribe puberty blockers and hormones to people under the age of 19. According to the state, the decision to give states the power to restrict abortion means they should be able to ban medical treatments for young people who are trans.
The Human Rights Campaign's senior counsel and state legislative director said that any attempt to overturn gay marriage would begin with a lawsuit.
The marriages of people are still safe even though they are nervous.
Although the threat to same-sex couples feels particularly acute in conservative states, she said she's heard of people all over the country seeking second-parent adoptions, which protects a family by having the names of both adoptive parents on the birth certificate. She said that people are doing general estate planning and completing medical directives.
Free second-parent adoptions, which are similar to step-parent adoptions, are available to qualified same-sex couples in order to alleviate some of the stress caused by the abortion decision.
The upgrade lawyers realized last week that they needed to do something.
There will be a special day in August when all the adoptions will be finalized. She said that completing the process should make families more secure.
We don't know what's going to happen if gay marriage goes away It's better to be cautious.
That's right.
A writer for the Associated Press in Montgomery contributed.
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