C C Smale Family Lawyer

People who think that marriage is “just a piece of paper”, or is in other ways irrelevant are wrong. Making this mistake is often financially costly. Married people have different “rights” to unmarried people and they have different “obligations”.

Since 2005 people in same-sex relationships have been able to form civil partnerships. In nearly every way a civil partnership is the same as a marriage as far as the law is concerned. However, the differences between civil partnership and marriage, even though minor, are felt to be significant. The equalities minister indicates that the law could be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry. The main differences would be these: firstly, for all official purposes same-sex couples would be able to declare themselves as “married” rather than “in a civil partnership”. Secondly, there is currently a ban on any religious element in a ceremony of civil partnership and this ban would be removed for the purpose of same-sex marriage.

For those people, like me, who are in favour of committed relationships I think it is pointless opposing the idea of gay marriage. It is not homosexuality which has undermined marriage; it is people failing to commit to permanent relationships of any sort. Lack of commitment and sexual promiscuity amongst heterosexual people is a far greater cause of family breakdown than anything you may think the lesbian or gay community are up to.