SC: Conservative AG Kills Same Sex Partner Health Benefits Plan

On the advice of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, a proposed state regulatory change to allow government employees to add same-sex partners to their state health benefits has been withdrawn from consideration. The suggested policy change from Democratic former Gov. Timothy M. Kaine became public in December in the waning days of his term, eliciting support from gay groups and condemnation from social conservatives.

If adopted, it would have permitted insured state workers to include "other qualified adults" living in their households - such as domestic partners, adult children and other relatives - to the state's health coverage system.

Kaine administration officials claimed that wouldn't increase state expenses because employees adding a person would pick up all the extra costs. But a state fiscal analysis dated Jan. 12 indicates that "insufficient data" and certain unknown variables make cost calculations problematic.

Full Story from the Pilot Online
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One in 5 Swedish Priests Refuse to Perform Gay Marriages

A week has passed since homosexual couples were given the right to tie the knot in church. Yet, 18 percent of priests in the Gothenburg region say they refuse to preside over gay weddings. A survey by the Göteborgs-Posten newspaper questioned 147 priests in the local diocese on their willingness to wed gay couples. A total of 18 percent said they would not partake in marriage ceremonies. Since November 1st, gay couples have been given the blessing to marry in church. Full Story from The Local: http://www.thelocal.se/23132/20091107/

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150K Same Sex Couples in Marriage Relationships in 2008, Census Says

Nearly 150,000 same-sex couples reported being in marriage relationships last year, many more than the number of actual weddings and civil unions, according to the first U.S. census figures released on same-sex marriages. About 27 percent of the estimated 564,743 total gay couples in the United States said they were in a relationship akin to "husband" and "wife," according to the Census Bureau tally provided to The Associated Press. That's compared with 91 percent of the 61.3 million total opposite-sex couples who reported being married. A consultant to the Census Bureau estimated there were roughly 100,000 official same-sex weddings, civil unions and domestic partnerships in 2008. Full Story from AP: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gCdZqWgPVPTXeB1bQGw_j7YOIvHAD9AS4OA82

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources.

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