Quote:

Dave the Wonder Boy said:
All the rights you describe would be available through civil union, without imposing restrictions on religious beliefs and freedom.



Actually, Dave, that is an unfortunate misconception.

Here are some of the differences between civil unions and marriage, from a financial standpoint, as detailed in this article:

*Insurance companies often will not sell gay couples life insurance on each other, says Faith Xenos, a certified financial planner and principal of SingerXenos Wealth Management in Coral Gables. That's because insurance companies typically require someone to have an ''insurable interest'' in order to buy the policy on someone else. An insurable interest is usually considered marriage or a business partnership.

*If one partner in a gay relationship loses his or her job, the other partner cannot continue health insurance coverage at their own cost under the federal law known as COBRA. Not so for married couples.

*Unmarried couples don't have the right to take time off from work under the Family and Medical Leave Act, which families use when a spouse or a child becomes ill.

*At many companies and governmental bodies, health insurance or other benefits are offered to domestic partners. But the employee must pay income tax on the value of that benefit. If the couple were married, there would be no tax for the spouse's insurance. Some gay couples instead buy a second policy to avoid the tax cost. Or they make their partner a dependent for tax purposes to get around the IRS.

*If one partner in a gay relationship dies, the other cannot receive Social Security survivor's benefits. Not so for marrieds.

As I said earlier in this thread, the real enemies here are the insurance companies and laws that don't give civil union members the same rights as married couples. Not the gays that are merely seeking equal rights, or the religious affiliates that wish to retain their definition of what marriage is.