General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I see right wing arguments on both sides [View all]Adrahil
(13,340 posts)A far as i'm concerned, consenting adults, yada, yada...
But it is NOT as a simple as the issue with gay marriage, since the the laws involving marriage benefits and rights are comsteucted with 2 people in mind. Assumed benefits (social security survivor benefits, for example) assumed parentage, and parental rights (do all spouses have parental rights, or just the biological parents), even divorce law. It's a huge deal, and not one that I think that can be legally claimed as equivelent to the call for marriage equality. It would require a major restructuring of domestic law, not merely an extension of rights. Because of that, the concept of equal protection of the laws simply will not apply.
Eliminating civil recognition of marriage will not solve the problem. All those right mentioned above, and many more are involved. After all, we established civil marriagerecisely becuase we needed a simple way to extend a whole host of rights to one's spouse.
But imwish my polyamorous friends good luck!