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What's the Big Deal?
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Issue
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| Contributor | Mr. Techno |
| Last Edited | Mr. Techno May 01, 2003 01:48pm |
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| Category | Opinion |
| Media | Website - PoliticsNJ.com |
| News Date | Thursday, May 1, 2003 07:48:44 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | by Steve Adubato
"A bill is about to be introduced in the New Jersey Legislature that would move to recognize domestic partnerships. Translated, this means that any two people who live together could “file an affidavit indicating they are domestic partners.” These two people could be related or unrelated, siblings or cousins. They could also be parent and child. They could also be gay. It’s the gay part that makes this all so complicated.
Being recognized as a “domestic partner” has huge implications when it comes to a variety of legal, constitutional and practical rights. Since gays cannot marry legally in any state, recognizing domestic partnerships is the next best thing for countless gay couples who live together in a committed and meaningful fashion.
There are gay partners who have been together for over 20 years who don’t share each other’s health benefits, while heterosexual couples married for 2 weeks do. Only legally recognized couples have rights of inheritance and community property. Only legal couples can file a joint tax return with the IRS. In hospital rooms all across this state and nation, when one partner in a gay couple is sick and dying, legally only “family members” have a right to consult with the doctors regarding critical medical decisions. |
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