With a name like Maryland, we expect more.

The turtle blog salutes Equality Maryland for doing the lord’s work. Marylanders can easily get involved in protecting our civil rights using their website as a starting point.

Some of the more than one thousand rights, benefits and responsibilities that accompany a civil marriage license include:
· The right to visit a spouse in the hospital
· The right to make medical decisions for a sick spouse
· The right to make funeral arrangements for a deceased spouse
· Access to family courts for dissolution of relationships
· Death benefits for surviving spouses of firefighters and police officers
· Mutual responsibility for debts
· Joint assessment of income for determining eligibility for state government assistance programs
· Ability to sponsor a spouse from another country for a green card
· Community property ownership protections
· Child custody, visitation, and duties of financial support to children
· Eligibility for health benefits (without taxation) and COBRA benefits through an employer
· Ability to take leave to care for a sick spouse under the Family and Medical Leave Act
· Right to inherit a spouse's pension
· Entitlement to inherit social security and disability benefits upon the death of a spouse
· Ability to inherit jointly owned property without incurring tax penalties
· Right to file joint income taxes
· Ability to put a spouse on the deed to a home without incurring tax penalties
· Access to "family memberships"
· Domestic violence protections
· Immunity from testifying against a spouse
· Right to sue for wrongful death of a spouse

The Maryland Court of Appeals could issue a verdict any day now. Keep your fingers crossed everybody!


Sign the petition! Get involved!