Knowra Civil union Civil union A civil union is a legally recognized partnership that grants partners specified rights and responsibilities, often similar to marriage. Its legal effects vary by jurisdiction and may differ from marriage.
Domestic partnership : A legally recognized relationship that provides partners with selected rights, often without the full status of marriage. Some jurisdictions offer domestic partnerships alongside civil unions, with different eligibility and legal effects.
Registered partnership : A formally recorded partnership status that grants unmarried couples a set of legal rights. Registered partnerships are the broader legal form from which many civil-union systems developed.
Marriage equality : The principle that same-sex couples should have equal access to civil marriage. Civil unions became a focal point in debates over whether separate legal status provides equal treatment.
New Zealand Civil Union Act 2004 : A New Zealand statute that established civil unions for same-sex and different-sex couples. New Zealand's law illustrates a civil-union framework open to couples regardless of sex.
Marriage : A legally recognized relationship between spouses, carrying rights and responsibilities defined by law. Comparing marriage clarifies which protections a civil union includes and which it may lack.
Denmark : A Nordic country whose 1989 registered-partnership law was the first national same-sex partnership law. Denmark's pioneering 1989 law helped establish a model for later civil-union legislation.
Obergefell v. Hodges : A 2015 United States Supreme Court decision recognizing same-sex couples' constitutional right to marry. The ruling made civil unions an incomplete substitute for marriage in the United States.
France's civil solidarity pact : A French legal contract, introduced in 1999, that gives unmarried couples a formal partnership status. France's PACS offers a distinct model of partnership rights rather than a marriage-like status alone.
Family law : The body of law governing family relationships, including marriage, parentage, separation, and adoption. Family law determines how civil-union status affects partners and their families.
Same-sex marriage : Marriage between partners of the same sex, recognized under the laws of a jurisdiction. Civil unions often arose as an earlier or politically limited alternative to same-sex marriage.
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