From The Times and the Sunday Times, this is The Story. I'm Luke Jones.

Another hard-fought right in the United States, the land of the free, is starting to look uncertain.

The right to same-sex marriage in the US goes back over a decade to a man called James Obergefell

and his terminally ill partner, John Arthur.

John was one of the funniest, most well-spoken and charming people I've ever known.

He was the love of my life.

John was diagnosed with ALS. The typical time frame is

two and a half to five years before death. As time ran out for John, they decided to get married.

But living in Ohio, that was illegal. So to get hitched, they had to hop on a plane to Maryland,

where it was legal. We took an ambulance to the airport in Cincinnati, and we boarded this small medical jet,

and we flew to Baltimore, Washington International Airport. And our wedding ceremony took place in the

airplane. Jim, you have the rings? Yes. The most important thing was, I got to take John's hand,

and we got to say the words we had wanted to say for so long.

With this ring, I be wed.

With this ring, I be wet.

We'd been together almost 21 years at that point, and it changed everything.

But back home in Ohio, they realized that on John's unfortunately looming death certificate,

their marriage would not be recognized. James would not be listed as a spouse. So they did what

any good American does when they're not happy with something. They sued.

Eight days after we got married, we filed a lawsuit in federal district court, demanding that Ohio

recognize our lawful Maryland marriage on John's test certificate when he died.

We had a simple decision to make.

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