What if people were allowed to designate, based on an array of criteria (that may or may not include sexual intimacy or blood relation), who shall be the person (or people) they enter into economic interdependence and/or domestic care with?
Contracts that outline roles, responsibilities and procedures could be mutually written and include clear processes for dissolution. These contracts, in turn, could be recognized by regulators regarding taxes, hospital care, funerals, estate law, etc.
Those who wish to connect their conjugal relations and commitments to a spiritual or religious practice should be free to do so, and if a given religion refuses to acknowledge a specific conjugal relationship, that is that religion’s prerogative. If people want to take on the battle of changing what is acceptable in a specific religion that is between them and the religion, the state really should not be involved.
There is a very Interesting report, entitled “Beyond Conjugality: Recognizing And Supporting Close Personal Adult Relationships” prepared by the Law Commission of Canada in 2002. Among other things, it calls for changes to Family Law in recognition of our changing society.
Our current government disbanded the commission in 2007.
That type of thinking is what freaks out American conservatives about gay marriage/civil unions. If we open it up, everyone will want to be polygamous or marry their dogs!
To quote the lovely senator from my home state, Rick Santorum:
“Marriage is not about affirming somebody’s love for somebody else. It’s about uniting together to be open to children, to further civilization in our society.”
and of course …
“In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That’s not to pick on homosexuality. It’s not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be. It is one thing. And when you destroy that you have a dramatic impact on the quality.”
and just one more bonus quote…
“[I have] a problem with homosexual acts, as I would with what I would consider to be acts outside of traditional heterosexual relationships . . . if the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual [gay] sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery.”
There you go, Santorum has spoken!