tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8381295.post115289499266096066..comments2023-07-15T07:54:40.393-05:00Comments on Gumbo Pie: Who really needs to get married?Steve T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/12075948665118760070noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8381295.post-1153531333952903062006-07-21T20:22:00.000-05:002006-07-21T20:22:00.000-05:00Say what??? She had to testify unwillingly? That's...Say what??? She had to testify unwillingly? That's astounding, as I thought the principle of spousal immunity goes back hundreds of years, to the English common law that was the basis of colonial law, before the Revolution.<BR/><BR/>The only thing I can think of is that California has carved out an exception for cases like that, of spouse abuse, or maybe child abuse, as opposed to compelling Steve T.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12075948665118760070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8381295.post-1153524204089076772006-07-21T18:23:00.000-05:002006-07-21T18:23:00.000-05:00"and its attendant benefits"Well, that's scary. A..."and its attendant benefits"<BR/><BR/>Well, that's scary. And from Georgia, too, one of the more progressive Southern states (I thought).<BR/><BR/>Is it really true that "spouses cannot be compelled to testify against each other"? I ask because nowadays, if a policeman answers a domestic dispute call and witnesses bruising on a woman's arm, he is required to report a potential assault, and she Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8381295.post-1153422694973259332006-07-20T14:11:00.000-05:002006-07-20T14:11:00.000-05:00Some people think the symbolism of the word "marri...Some people think the symbolism of the word "marriage" is so important that anything less is not enough. But I'm not really one of them. I think the fact of the benefits you mentioned are more important than the label. Many of these benefits can be gotten through private contracts, such as medical powers of attorney, as Alden and I have done. But not all. One you didn't mention is that spouses Steve T.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12075948665118760070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8381295.post-1153290823956969452006-07-19T01:33:00.000-05:002006-07-19T01:33:00.000-05:00I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I have ...I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I have a problem with the whole second-class citizen thing. It's inarguable to me that same-sex couples should have the opportunity to make public declarations of commitment and follow that with all the benefits and responsibilities of married life -- inheritance, visitation, tax breaks, child adoption etc. But does it have to be called "marriage"? ToAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com