Rhode Island Senate Vites to Give LGBT Couples Funeral Rights

Responding to one of the more heart-wrenching personal stories to emerge from the same-sex marriage debate, the Rhode Island Senate Tuesday unanimously approved a bill giving "domestic partners'' the right to claim the bodies of - and make funeral arrangements for - their loved ones. A domestic partner is defined as "a person who prior to the decedent's death, was in an exclusive, intimate and committed relationship with the decedent.'' Despite hours of hearings at the State House this year - and support for same-sex marriage in other Northeast state - this bill is the only one of the dueling defense-of-marriage, same-sex marriage, divorce and equal-rights bills introduced in Rhode Island this year that has managed to make it out of a legislative committee. Full Story from Projo.com - Click Here

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