Heterosexual Couple Take Civil Partnership Case To Supreme Court

[Deskdiary]

Can anybody think of a reason (other than the law as it currently stands) as to why heterosexual couples should not be allowed to enter into a civil partnership?

Because I can’t.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41004378

I think the couple make a good point that the current law is “incompatible with equality law”.

[Mamyalynne]

No I can't.

[Baldric]

Agree with them 100%, either ban Civil Partnerships or make them available to all.

[Peter Pedant]

jesus what a waste of money
the couple just 'thought it would be nice' if they civilly partnered instead of married

supreme court should be allowed to decide things more important

yes unforeseen circumstance in a badly drafted law
the idea was to give certain civil rights to couples who didnt have them and not 'to give fluffy further choices to couples' who had more than one way ( religious and civil) to marry

[mikey4444]

I can see the equality position here but why don't this couple just get married in the first place ?

Civil Partnerships were introduced mainly to allow same sex couples to have the same security as heterosexual couples.

This couple say that they are not comfortable with marriage. But they already live together, and have one child and another on the way, so how would a "partnership" differ from a civil marriage ?

[Togo]

//but want the "financial and legal protection" that a civil partnership provides.//

From the link. That methinks is the point.

[fiction-factory]

Maybe civil partnerships should just be abolished going forwards. or made available to all. It doesn't seem that big an issue to me though.
.

[jim360]

Civil partnerships were a stepping stone to allowing same-sex marriage (or a way of avoiding having to go so far). Now that same-sex couples can marry it might be better to do away with the Civil Partnership Act altogether. It serves no obvious purpose other than allowing heterosexual couples to pretend that suddenly it's them who are being discriminated against.

[Togo]

If they are atheist Church is ruled out surely.

[ToraToraTora]

No reason why not except that's the law as it stands. Can you go to court if you don't like the law? what do they hope to achieve in legal terms? I mean if the law specifically says, same sex, then it would need to be adjusted via parliament would it not?

[mikey4444]

Togo....getting married has nothing to do with Church, if you don't want it to. Most marriages these days seem to be Register Office affairs.

I am all for equality but I tend to agree with Jim on this issue. This affair smacks of people looking for a way to be offended and and excluded, where none exist.

[ummmm]

Doesn't civil partnership allow for people who are not actually in a sexual relationship?

[fiction-factory]

^ So does marriage doesn't it?

[pixie374]

I think you can have marriage annulled if it isn't consummated. They both seem old-fashioned to me. Do either do anything that a will doesn't?

[ummmm]

Yes...but if for instance two sisters had lived their whole life together they can't legally get married whereas a civil partnership gives them some legal protection.

[sp1814]

I wish them luck.

As it stands, CPs are a legal anomaly. They should be open to heterosexual couples, as well as same sex couples.

I only hope they realise that they will financially disadvantaged (pension rights) if they succeed and the law is changed to allow them to enter a CP.

[ummmm]

Pixie - I thought about a will but I don't think that protects against pension rights etc...

[ummmm]

Scrap my answer...

[Peter Pedant]

// //but want the "financial and legal protection" that a civil partnership provides.//

it was designed to give rights to a certain groups ( and not more rights) so the protection they seek is available in at least two other ways ( church or registry office)

they just thought it would be nice apparently

[pixie374]

Probably not. They should maybe change that instead.

[sp1814]

ummmm

No, people who are related are not allowed to enter a civil partnership.

They are specifically excluded, because CPs were introduced to give gay couples a legal framework to their relationship.

Brothers and sisters, fathers and sons, mothers and uncles aren't considered couples under law.