{"id":9191,"date":"2015-06-05T00:13:04","date_gmt":"2015-06-05T07:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/politicalhat.com\/?p=9191"},"modified":"2015-06-05T00:13:04","modified_gmt":"2015-06-05T07:13:04","slug":"separation-of-marriage-and-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/impeachreno.org\/politicalhat\/2015\/06\/05\/separation-of-marriage-and-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Separation of Marriage and State?"},"content":{"rendered":"

     Alabama is considering a law to abolish marriage<\/a> as we know it.\u00a0 Not the form or function, or course, but its legal nature<\/em>:<\/p>\n

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“Right now, if you want to get married you go to the courthouse and the probate judge gives you a marriage license.<\/p>\n

“\u2026<\/p>\n

“‘[SB377] does away with that and requires parties to enter into a contract and file it at the courthouse, as I understand it.'”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

     In effect, it is a private contract that becomes legally binding upon filing of said contract with a probate judge.\u00a0 Marriage licenses, then, would cease to exist in Alabama.\u00a0 This isn’t to say that “anything goes”:<\/p>\n

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“The bill itself disposes of marriage certificates and replaces them with a contract that you file with the probate judge.<\/p>\n

“But that could add confusion for all kinds of folks who rely on marriage to prove a link to the federal government,\u00a0 insurance companies or anyone else. Plus it would put up another barrier for same-sex marriage.<\/p>\n

“\u2026<\/p>\n

“If the Supreme Court orders all states to issues same-sex marriage licenses, Alabama could possibly argue that it doesn’t issue any licenses, it just limits the contracts it accepts.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

     Chances are, such a defense won’t fly with same-sex-loving courts.<\/p>\n

     The only way such a divorce (no pun intended) could work is complete separation of marriage and state<\/em>, where the state recognizes a domestic partnership, and marriage becomes something that people are free, or not, to accepts without the coercive force of the state to induce them to believe, speak, or act otherwise.<\/p>\n

     The text of the SB377 can be read below:<\/p>\n

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SB377<\/a><\/p>\n