On 27/10/2006, at 11:01 AM, jdiebremse wrote:
An interesting idea - but I somehow think that abolishing legal
marriage
isn't going to be a wildly popular idea....
Well, it's a good job that's not what I said. I said separate the
legal and religious portions. Make the legal agreement that allows
for joint ownership, automatic powers-of-attorney, visiting rights,
protection of children just that - a legal contract. You can sign it
at the end of a church wedding, or in a hall, or in a lawyer's
office. Just a contract. Civil unions for any two people who wish to
organise their affairs that way. If you want a wedding you can have
it, but it won't automatically confer the legal rights. That way, any
religious ceremony or none at all can be held, which has meaning to
the couple. Churches can protect their marriage in the eyes of the
Lord by offering weddings to heterosexual couples and not anyone else
if they choose. Marriage will mean exactly what it always has, which
is exactly what the two married people think it means to them and no
more.
Australia has gone part of the way - marriage no longer automatically
confers a name change for a female partner. Not far enough though.
Charlie
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