When Only Marriage Will Do

Marriage is more than just a word. It is a cultural status that conveys an understanding of the relationship involved. There are 399 New Hampshire laws and over 1,000 federal laws that apply to the rights and responsibilities pertaining to marriage. Marriage provides protections for families in four important areas:

Civil Marriage

Common Understanding:

Marriage is a universally understood institution. Government, business, and society understand the term marriage.

Portability:

Marriage is acknowledged by all states and the federal government regardless of the individual state laws where the marriage was performed.

Federal Laws:

The federal government offers approximately 1,040 protections and responsibilities to married couples.

Federal Preemption:

If the federal government and a state have legislation on the same issue, federal law overrides state law. Therefore only marriage ensures equality for lesbian and gay couples throughout the United States.

Marriage provides and expects many things.  There are the hundreds of state rights and responsibilities. Marriage also carries with it a certain understanding of responsibility and stability in one’s relationship.  It is a cultural status that, although not everyone may agree with, conveys an understanding of the relationship involved.  When a couple is married, the commitment they make to each other is expected to last a lifetime. Through marriage, that commitment is not only a private statement, but a public one as well.