According to the Daily Telegraph, ninety per cent of French “solidarity pacts” a year, some 135,000 of them, are now being made between people of the opposite sex, ‘despite them being designed for homosexuals, who are not formally allowed to marry in France’. Unlike in the UK, the Civil Solidarity Pacts, or PACS, are open to everyone, not just same sexers. The Telegraph lists some of the attractions of PACS over marriage. They
…take just 15 minutes and can be performed by a court clerk.
Just as significantly, they can be ended with a single letter from either partner, without any claims on the other’s money or property.
With divorce costs spiralling such a legal arrangement is particularly attractive to those potentially facing massive payouts if marriages fail.
The PACS provide near-identical financial and administrative protection as formal marriages, including the possibility of providing joint tax returns and enjoying deductions.
French councils also treat PACSed couples like married couples when assigning benefits or accommodation.
The PACS also allow couple to bypass social and Church conventions, many of which are viewed as outdated by younger generations.
This latter consideration should probably be placed rather further up in the list.
Either way this news is yet another indication that the gay American obsession with (politically impossible) marriage rather than (politically achievable) fully-recognised civil unions – ‘riding at the back of the bus!’ – is not just a giant tactical mistake but also culturally retrogressive, rather than the ‘giant leap for progress’ and ‘equality’ it is trumpeted as being by gay marriage zealots. Marriage seems to be a very dull historical cul de sac that even straight people don’t want to live on any more.
The French trend towards rejecting marriage for civil partnerships/unions also illustrates how unfair it is that British civil partnerships are not open to everyone – just same sex couples. The reason heterosexuals are denied that option is because when the legislation was being drawn up fears were expressed in Parliament that allowing heteros the choice would ‘undermine marriage’. (Which is rather revealing – even the champions of marriage obviously believe that marriage isn’t very appealing.)
But of course, marriage has undermined itself. Recently released figures in the UK show marriage is the most unpopular it’s ever been and suggest that the unwed will outnumber the wed within a year.
Sorry, but I don’t think I need to contact you or ‘French gay groups’ first to check if I have the right to an opinion. Even one that you violently disagree with.
Well, we know even intelligent people can utter stupid assesements, probably out of ignorance or twisting the truth to prove a theoretical point. No, PACS is NOT a better deal than marriage, and is deeply dishonest to present it as it were: we are far from having the same advantages and rights(should you need proof, contact french gays and gay groups, painstakingly working to obtain the real thing). Should you find marriage “outdated”, don’t do it yourself but grant others the freedom (and brains)to decide for themselves : you are NOT the beguinning & the end, just an arrogant prick who believes knowing better than others about things you visibly don’t have a clue. I’ve been (gay) married and I can assure, you can make it as “modern” and “avant garde” as you wish, whatever that might mean to you. Learn the facts before you open your mouth, islence is intelligent sometimes.
Here in New Zealand civil unions are open to hetero couples too. Our previous Prime Minister has said she would have opted for that arrangement had it been available in her time.
American arrogance has no bounds. where it comes to tortue otr bad taste: how would we expect them to stp at ignorance. Watch this get buried and disregarded or at best touted as irrelivant to “our special needs.” .
Even the ACLU , to say nothing about ‘human rights’ organizations is scooping up everyone’s money to see that their “rights are respected.”. Marriage is a big lawyers coup d’etat.
Nicely put. I can’t help wondering whenever I hear the phrase ‘throw us under the bus’ or ‘back of the bus’ trotted out again just how many American gays have actually used a bus this side of High School.
Mark, this was really well said!!!
Instead of letting the influence & power of the church continue it’s self inducing decline and letting the structure face it’s ill fated doom and “whatever may come” future, or lack there of…they bring up this marriage equality rubbish and immediately bring back the irrelevant cheerleaders of organized religion back on the mainstream radar.
They can fight for equal rights under civil unions, but the word “marriage” apparently has ‘too’ nice of a ring to it.
Now you even see gay couples getting divorced but still it’s about the principal for them…the right to participate in a soon to be pointless institution.
The mind boggles!
I guess the U.S. really is one of the most religious nations on earth…as even the ones who are oppressed by it still seem to beg for it’s approval to live their lives.
Absolutely ridiculous.
This latest flow of events in France is a splendid example of exactly why “marriage” needs to be left alone, for both gays and straight in my opinion.
With divorce rates skyrocketing, I seriously don’t understand what the appeal is anymore to the people who seek to enslave themselves in such an institution.
Good to know that even when the bus has broken down in the middle of nowhere, our American friends will still be demanding to sit up with the heterosexual folks!
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