How do the rights and obligations granted in marriage differ from those granted in a domestic partnership?
Well, marriage rights are ruled by every state in the country treats marriage differently. But for the most part, the rights are pretty similar state to state and then the federal government has over a thousand rights that come with marriage through federal law. Domestic partnership, for example in the state of California, you get most of the rights and obligations that married couples get under state law, but you get none of the federal rights and obligations that come with it. So the thousand plus rights that you get in the federal law, you don't get as a domestic partner in California. My partner's from the United Kingdom. He cannot become a citizen even though we're domestic partners legally registered with the state of California. So, that's one area where there's a huge difference. You don't get any of the federal tax benefits that come only with marriage. Domestic partners don't get any of those. Social security, domestic partners can pay into social security their entire lives, but they get none of the benefits if one of them were to die. So those are just some of the many examples of the rights you don't get as a domestic partner that you do get if you're married.
