Spousal Rights
October, 2000
For the past decade, the forces of the religious right have resisted gay marriage, saying, among other things, that it demeans the traditional union. Earlier this year, the Vermont legislature passed a groundbreaking "civil union" statute that affords committed gay partners the same rights given to married couples. What are these sacred rights? While drafting the bill, the Judiciary Committee of the Vermont House asked its lawyers to comb the state code for every mention of marriage. T...
