The Emergence of Marriage Equality and the Sad Demise of Civil Unions

Abstract

In this chapter, I suggest that Connecticut’s and other states’ recent discontinuation of civil unions in the name of marriage “equality” marginalizes and demeans marriage – rejecting people who may nonetheless wish to codify their intimate partnerships – for purposes of legal “incidents,” including rights and privileges, like hospital visitation rights, testimonial privilege, inheritance rights, etc. In doing so, I also call for a rejuvenation of the practice of granting civil union licenses in these states.

Citation

Ghosh, C. (2017), "The Emergence of Marriage Equality and the Sad Demise of Civil Unions", Studies in Law, Politics, and Society (Studies in Law, Politics, and Society, Vol. 73), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1059-433720170000073001