What is the difference between being married and joining a civil union?

I'm writing a letter to my state reps to lift the ban on same-sex marriage because it is unconstitutional.





A point I'm making is that ';joining a civil union'; is just taking injustice, putting a bow on it, and calling it something different.





However, just to make sure, I need to know EXACTLY what the differences are.What is the difference between being married and joining a civil union?
People are just plain wrong if they think civil unions are equal under the law with marriage. Unfortunately, our governments have taken a religious sacrament and institutionalized it into many governmental policies. This intertwining does not occur with any other religious rituals.





The implications of this are that the tax advantages afforded to ';married'; couples are not the same as those in a civil union. The automatic rights of succession of intestate estates are not the same. The ability to cover partners in a civil union under insurance plans as ';spousal'; coverage is not the same. Even such a thing as visitation in a hospital under emergency situations that is restricted to ';family'; does NOT have to be recognized by the hospital if the relationship is one of civil union. This can include ';next of kin'; questions and right to end life issues.





Suffice it to say that wherever policies address ';married'; persons, spouses, etc (the language of marriage) there is room for these same policies to deny the same status to those in a civil union since the language is not the same (ie., partner vs spouse). The laws and policies are language specific. It DOES matter. The status is NOT equal.What is the difference between being married and joining a civil union?
Well, for one there are the federal tax implications. due to the ';Defense Of Marriage Atrocity er.. Act, a same sex couple cannot file a tax return jointly and is therefore prevented from enjoying the tax advantages. Same sex couples are not counted as ';married'; for the U.S. Census. Same sex couples are excluded from the marriage benefits afforded by Social Security just to name a few. The ';DOMA'; forbids Federal recognition of same sex marriage by any federal agency.





';A point I'm making is that ';joining a civil union'; is just taking injustice, putting a bow on it, and calling it something different.';.





Exactly!
There are far too many differences to relate here. They could fall into many categories, broad and narrow. First, there are private sector differences. For instance, insurers recognize marriage but not unions. Hospitals, lawyers, property title insurers, doctors, banks, finance companies, pension administrators, all sorts of groups have rules concerning married folk. For a small example, I look out my window and I see a museum. That museum would allow me to buy a family membership if I was married but not if I was part of a union. Another broad category is public sector/ legal distinctions. The u.s. tax code only recognizes marriage. Every state evidence code has a marital privilege. Community property state have incredible differences in rights for married folk but treat those in a union as unmarried. Social security is different for married folks.


If you want more, walk down any street in any city. As you pass each person or business, think of how being married might impact your relationship with that person or business.
Marriage is the concept and principle where a man and a woman come together to form a family, the foundation of human societies. It is a personal and sexual union and has its basis on spiritual principles.. Civil union is just a legal concept. Homosexuals don't have the right parts to make children. It is very perverse spiritually, and a form a deceptive love.
The big difference in the U.S. is that ';Marriage'; is recognized by all 50 States and by the Federal government. ';Civil Unions'; are only recognized in a small handful of States, and not by the Federal government.
Virtually nothing. A 'civil union' is a 'de facto' marriage.





A civil union provides all the same legal and congenital factors as a legitimate marriage.
It is basically the same thing as marraige, except its for Gay and Lesbian couples, hope that helped.
Because this %26gt;%26lt; doesn't work.
A civil union gives same-sex couples whom commit to one another the same rights and privileges as heterosexual couples who make the same commitment by getting married.





Just to play devil's advocate here, I think you need to consider the opponent's view. Most religious text say homosexuality is a sin and in turn will not recognize a same-sex marriage. A marriage is traditionally viewed as a commitment from a man and woman before GOD. These groups are not saying a homosexual person cannot commit to whomever makes them happy, but that it shouldn't be called a 'marriage' because would associate the union as pleasing to God when it is not.





Why do you believe it is unconstitutional? The First Amendment includes a Freedom of Religion. Wouldn't it be a violation of rights of those who oppose homosexual marriages force their church to recognize homosexual marriages when their religious texts deems homosexuality a sin?





I hope you do not believe this law to be in place because of prejudice and not religious principles. As a Christian, I believe that their union should not be called a marriage, but that they should be given the same rights, privileges and treatment as other married couples such as being able to adopt children and jointly filing their taxes. Besides, I don't think the government should meddle too much in the personal affairs of its citizens. The government is supposed to show constraint and not legislate every little aspect of our lives. That is one of the reasons why this country is called ';the land of the free';.





I don't think this country is as free as it claims to be but that's a topic for another question.