[preciousjeni]

Originally posted by Love_Spell_6
Yes it does seem like the principle to me SC....
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MARRIAGE: Marriage is a unique legal status conferred by and recognized by governments the world over. It brings with it a host of reciprocal obligations, rights, and protections. It is also a cultural institution. It represents the ultimate expression of love and commitment between two people and everyone understands that. No other word has that power, and no other word can provide that protection.

CIVIL UNION: A civil union is a legal status created by the state of Vermont in 2000. It provides legal protection to couples at the state law level, but omits federal protections as well as the dignity, clarity, security and power of the word “marriage.”

Some of the Limitations of Civil Unions:

Portability:
Marriages are respected state to state for all purposes, but questions remain about how civil unions will be treated in other states.

Ending a Civil Union:
If you are married, you can get divorced in any state in which you are a resident. But there is no way to end a civil union other than by establishing residency in Vermont for one year and filing for divorce there. This has already created problems for some couples who now have no way to terminate their legal commitment.

Federal Benefits:
According to a 1997 GAO report, there are at least 1,049 federal laws that deal with protections, rights and responsibilities that are linked to marriage, 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.

Separate & Unequal -- Second-Class Status:
Even if there were no substantive differences in the way the law treated marriages and civil unions, the fact that a civil union remains a separate status just for gay people represents real and powerful inequality. The concept of “separate but equal” has not worked at other times in our nation’s history because “separate” is not “equal.” Our constitution requires legal equality for all. Including gay and lesbian couples within existing marriage laws is the fairest and simplest way to provide the rights, protections and obligations that every citizen deserves.


This fact sheet is adapted from a longer Q&A produced by GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders). To see the longer document go to www.GLAD.org .

How can you say it's just "principle" when you clearly see all the limitations of a Civil Union??