NJ Commission Recommends Marriage Equality

December 11, 2008

TRENTON—The New Jersey Civil Union Review Commission released its final report on December 17, 2008, with a unanimous finding that the State's civil union law fails to meet the Supreme Court's requirement that same-sex couples be afforded treatment equal to that of married couples, and recommending that the Legislature quickly pass a marriage equality law.

We, the thirteen members of the New Jersey Civil Union Review Commission, unanimously issue this final report, containing a set of recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature of the State of New Jersey. After eighteen public meetings, 26 hours of oral testimony and hundreds of pages of written submission from more than 150 witnesses, this Commission finds that the separate categorization established by the Civil Union Act invites and encourages unequal treatment of same-sex couples and their children. In a number of cases, the negative effect of the Civil Union Act on the physical and mental health of same-sex couples and their children is striking, largely because a number of employers and hospitals do not recognize the rights and benefits of marriage for civil union couples.

The full report can be downloaded here.

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