Marriage
I have divided legal Marriage into four legal divisions, whose names reflect bottom level non-lawyer legalism, but not emotions.
1) Shotgun marriage -- Legally, this is the standard marriage where its bottom line purpose is to have the man protect both the woman and any future children when the woman gets pregnant. Furthermore, upon death, the spouse's assets go to the remaining spouse, and when the remaining spouse dies the assets go to to the children.
2) Responsibility Marriage -- Legally, this is the divorce contract requiring care of a child and an ex-spouse. Gained assets of the spouses during this togetherness remain separate, but usually acquired assets of both spouses upon their death would respectively go to their spouse's children.
3) Old Age Marriage -- Legally, this is during older age when children cannot be generated, the previous children have grown and gone, and the couple has agreed to take care of each other through special contracts usually developed by a financial planner lawyer.
4) Say "no" Marriage -- Legally, this a couple that publicly says "no" to being married in spite of acting married.
Notes:
'shotgun' -- The term shotgun marriage comes from the concept that if a teenage boy got a teenage girl pregnant, the father of the teenage girl is going to use a gun to force the teenage boy to stay around and care for the girl and the upcoming child. The concept emphasizes male dominance, even over another male. The male relationship assures the proper assignment of responsibilities to the family members.
Congenial Marriage -- Congenial marriage falls under the shotgun marriage even though a shotgun is not used.
Man & Woman Requirement -- Shotgun marriage requires a man and a woman.
Same Sex Optional -- Responsibility Marriages, Old Age Marriages, and Say No Marriages can have same sex partners.
Morphing -- Marriages can morph into other marriages, such as from a shotgun to a partnership as when the children leave the home to be on their own.
Having a Baby -- For some, the man and woman requirement of the shotgun marriage may be a violation of civil liberties, but civil liberty is not here to re-create physical facts.
Homophobia -- For some, the option of having same sex partners for a responsibility marriage may hinder the development of children, but raising children is a responsibility issue not a homophobic brainwashing issue.
Constitutionality -- A constitutional amendment about a marriage being comprised of a man and a woman should specifically apply only to a shotgun marriage.
50% Divorce -- The shotgun Marriage is your standard marriage that has been around since the beginning of our nation. Its 50% divorce rate should not be viewed as a bad statistic and divorce should not be outlawed.
Rape -- At one time, the Shotgun Marriage allowed the male spouse to legally rape the female spouse. With the constitutional outlawing of gay marriages, I fear raping in marriages could be coming back soon.
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