Federal Benefits:
According to a 1997 GAO report, civil marriage brings with it at least 1,049 legal protections and responsibilities from the federal government, including the right to take leave from work to care for a family member, the right to sponsor a spouse for immigration purposes, and Social Security survivor benefits that can make a difference between old age in poverty and old age in security. Civil unions bring none of these critical legal protections.
GAO Report excerpt and link:
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04353r.pdf We have identified 120 statutory provisions involving marital status that were enacted
between September 21, 1996, and December 31, 2003. During the same period, 31 statutory
provisions involving marital status were repealed or amended in such a way as to eliminate
marital status as a factor. Consequently, as of December 31, 2003, our research identified a
total of 1,138 federal statutory provisions classified to the United States Code in which
marital status is a factor in determining or receiving benefits, rights, and privileges.
Side by side comparison: Marriage v. Civil Unions
http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:Fm4phQMc8h4J:www.glad.org/rights/Marriage_v_CU_chart.pdf+difference+between+marriage+and+civil+union&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us&client=firefox-aBut really, the bottom line is it all comes down to equality.
Forget the benefits...why shouldn't gay people be allowed to marry the person they love?
LGBT people are not asking that religious institutions sanction gay marriage.
Most gay people, I'm positive, are more than happy to go to city halls and court houses.
So the bottom line is this issue doesn't affect or harm or threaten heterosexual marriage.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore