Quote Originally Posted by blue View Post
So it isnt about marriage then. Straight or gay, couples shouldnt have any more rights or penalties then gay or straight single citizens.
They don't have more rights, a married couple is just different in the eyes of the law. To use just one example, if you are single, there's no obvious answer as to who would inherit your estate if you died suddenly with no will, and you have more than one immediate relative.

Another example is, if you were single and (heaven forbid) critically injured and put on machines, there's no one who can stand up, legally, and say "He would not want that, there's no chance for recovery, pull the plug." Then, instead of the decision being made by someone you know, and with whom you have discussed such issues, it gets decided by a court, or a doctor, or an administrator ...

As a single person, you should have a will, and a designated Power of Attorney assigned to someone just in case these things happen.