A bill protecting same-sex marriage in the United States passed a key stage in the Senate on Wednesday after an agreement earlier in the week between elected officials from both camps, AFP reported.

By a 62-37 majority, senators, including a dozen Republicans, voted in favor of the procedural provision, a rare vote that crossed party lines a little more than a week after the midterm elections.

In the US, same-sex unions have been guaranteed by the Supreme Court since 2015. But after the Supreme Court of Cassation’s historic overturn on abortion, many progressives fear that right will be overturned as well.

In mid-July, the US House of Representatives passed a bill to protect such unions across the country. All Democrats and 47 Republicans supported the bill. But almost 160 Republicans opposed it.

The Senate has been negotiating for weeks to get the support of at least ten Republicans for the text, which is needed to pass through qualified majority rules.

A group of senators from both parties announced Monday that an agreement had been reached.

The text “will ensure equal respect and protection under federal law for LGBTQI+ couples and mixed couples,” President Joe Biden said in a statement.

The vast majority of Americans support same-sex marriage, including Republicans. But the religious right is overwhelmingly opposed.