Washington State Legislature Passes Domestic Partnerships Bill
Wednesday April 11, 2007
Full coverage: Gay Marriage and Civil Unions
Yesterday, the Washington State House of Representatives passed a domestic partnerships bill by a 65-35 margin. The bill has already passed the Senate, and Gov. Gregoire has pledged to sign it. The new bill would create a domestic partnerships registry in Washington, with the following benefits:
Opposition to the bill was surprisingly weak, perhaps because even the most ardent gay rights opponents have a hard time arguing against basic hospital visitation and inheritance rights. The few vocal opponents who did speak up did so on the basis of a slippery slope argument, not on the basis of the individual bill's content. The words of Washington state representative Bill Hinkle more or less sum up the entire argument against the bill:
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- Partners would be granted automatic hospital visitation rights.
- In the event of one partner's death, the surviving partner would be able to authorize autopsies and organ donations.
- When there is no will, the partner would be granted inheritance rights.
Opposition to the bill was surprisingly weak, perhaps because even the most ardent gay rights opponents have a hard time arguing against basic hospital visitation and inheritance rights. The few vocal opponents who did speak up did so on the basis of a slippery slope argument, not on the basis of the individual bill's content. The words of Washington state representative Bill Hinkle more or less sum up the entire argument against the bill:
"We are chipping away at the very foundations of this institution and of society ... This is taking us down a road we do not need to go."It seems reasonable to wonder which road, exactly, Rep. Hinkle and like-minded opponents have in mind. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Massachusetts for over three years now, and Western civilization still seems to be intact.
See also:
- Washington State Considers Domestic Partnerships Bill (January 12, 2007)
Comments
Actually, if they were politically smart, the opponents of gay marriage would support something like this. It seems like the changes this bill makes, such as allowing hospital visitation, are among those that are mentioned by gay activists most often as the rights they’re denied. While this may be “marriage light,” it definitely isn’t marriage (which in Washington provides for community property and all that stuff), but it should eliminate some of the pressure put on lawmakers to provide for same-sex marriage.
Now, if you’re a gay activist, you can’t go to the Legislature and say, “I can’t even visit my partner in the hospital! I can’t even authorize an organ transplant! And if he dies, I can’t even claim what in practice has belonged to both of us!”
There may be legitimate reasons to oppose same-sex marriage, but it’s hard to come up with any rational arguments against something so basic like is in this law.
Tom Head has sex with animals & is into bestiality & is a sick bastard.
Abolish sex change surgeries which Tom Head is an apologist for.
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