I mean… Like you said, marriage is a contract. It’s an agreement between two people
Why not expand human dignity here? If you want to give spousal rights to your best friend, why does the government get to care that you have a strictly platonic relationship? If you want to make an agreement with more people, all you should have to do is work out the details yourselves
The state shouldn’t get an opinion over who we want to trust to make decisions for us or to define who our family is or how it works. They should just be informed when appropriate
Technically, you can already give power of attorney to others, or live with as many people as you want. You can grant access to your bank account to as many people as the bank will let you. I think the main thing you can’t reproduce is a tax benefit, basically.
In the UK, you can enter a civil partnership with your platonic best friend. There’s no legal concept of “consummating” a civil partnership, so you can’t annul it for there never having been sex, and it conveys almost all of the legal benefits of a marriage, it just isn’t allowed to be a religious ceremony.
I mean… Like you said, marriage is a contract. It’s an agreement between two people
Why not expand human dignity here? If you want to give spousal rights to your best friend, why does the government get to care that you have a strictly platonic relationship? If you want to make an agreement with more people, all you should have to do is work out the details yourselves
The state shouldn’t get an opinion over who we want to trust to make decisions for us or to define who our family is or how it works. They should just be informed when appropriate
Technically, you can already give power of attorney to others, or live with as many people as you want. You can grant access to your bank account to as many people as the bank will let you. I think the main thing you can’t reproduce is a tax benefit, basically.
Automatic pensions and inheritance rights come with marriage or civil partnership too.
Don’t forget health insurance if you live in a pretend first world country
In the UK, you can enter a civil partnership with your platonic best friend. There’s no legal concept of “consummating” a civil partnership, so you can’t annul it for there never having been sex, and it conveys almost all of the legal benefits of a marriage, it just isn’t allowed to be a religious ceremony.
Agreed. Now convincing everyone else….
Yes, I think this a more compelling take