Reply #7: #2 [View All]

[SemperEadem]

The state already recognizes "common law" unions, so the civil union can be an outgrowth of that already established consideration. The filing should be the same as what's already in place; once the pertinent info is processed, you're legally joined and the state then recognizes that the two are one for legal/tax/inheritance purposes. There is no need to redefine anything except what comes into the realm of law and jurisprudence.

If a couple then wants a religious recognition of their union in the form of a marriage, then they are still as free to seek and enjoy that as they are today. But church recognition wouldn't make one union "more" than another except for easily intimidated people who look down their noses on those not like them. One is reminded that the institution of marriage has had a long history of being approved as an instrument of covetousness by the church and the crown/state.