Yesterday the Oregon state senate approved the domestic partnerships bill that will allow Oregon to become the seventh state to grant same-sex couples full marriage-style benefits under state law. The governor vowed to sign the bill into a law shortly after the Senate passed it 21-9.
HB-2007-A
The bill, known as HB-2007-A coupled with an earlier bill that banned discrimination based on sexual orientation is a remarkable turnaround in a state that banned gay marriage at the ballot box 2 years ago. There was some concern after the announcement of the bill’s approval that conservative Christians would seek to place either or both measures on referendum in 2008, but it appears that the Oregon Family Council, the evangelical group that headed up the campaign against Measure 36 in 2005, has announced they will not seek to put either measure to a referendum vote.
Why?
The legislature granted an exemption for religious organizations with regard to the sexual orientation discrimination bill. Religious organizations will not be forced to hire or serve gays or lesbians. Conservative groups are also happy with the fact that the legislature created new law and did not tamper with current marriage laws in the state.
New Legal Language
While the passage of this bill is a victory for same-sex couples seeking to legalize their partnerships, the domestic partnership benefits are limited only to what the state grants and will not grant them similar marriage benefits under federal law such as filing a joint tax return, Social Security and more. Still, they will have child custody, hospital visitation, jointly filing state taxes and inheritance rights.
Whether you object to the term of civil union, domestic partnership or gay marriage – this is a good step forward for same-sex couples.
Other States Offering Domestic Partnerships or Civil Unions include:
- Vermont
- Connecticut
- New Jersey
- California
- New Hampshire
- Massachusetts
Currently, only Massachusetts allows for same-sex marriage, with all the rights and benefits of marriage rather than creating new legal language for domestic partnerships or civil unions.
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