If you wonder why LGBTs need ALL rights of marriage...

[Sapphocrat]

John Crisci and Michael Tartaglia, his partner of 33 years, thought they had done everything right. They had wills and other paperwork drawn up giving each other the right to make medical and financial decisions for each other, and specifying which relatives should inherit their assets when they die.

They packed the papers for long trips Crisci didn't have the documents with him when Tartaglia collapsed at a gym on the morning on his 70th birthday nearly two years ago. An EMT suggested he run home to get the paperwork rather than risk getting into a dispute with hospital officials over medical decisions.

Crisci knew he was too late when a doctor and chaplain were waiting to talk to him at the hospital. To him, the story shows why same-sex couples should be able to register as domestic partners and get many of the same rights as married couples under Colorado law.

"You don't lose that extra 30 or 40 minutes which may be the last time you can hold on to each other," Crisci said.

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While married couples are already entitled to some basic protections under the law, Crisci said gay men and women who draw up the documents can find themselves in court if estranged family members challenge a will after a partner's death.

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More:
http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20061105/NEWS/111050064