EDITORIAL – New Jersey offers civil unions

Following in the footsteps of Vermont and Connecticut, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled… Following in the footsteps of Vermont and Connecticut, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that the state legislature had to create new laws that offered same-sex couples full rights. The result? Civil unions.

According to the law signed at 12:01 a.m. on Monday by Gov. Jon S. Corzine, same-sex couples will now be able to take each other’s surnames without a court hearing, receive inheritances from spouses and jointly adopt children, according to The New York Times. Under the state’s domestic partnership law, which the court deemed to be inadequate under the constitution, same-sex couples already had access to state-financed pensions and limited health care.

Same-sex couples celebrated the law by having ceremonies across the state at midnight when the law was signed. Some courthouses had special hours to accommodate couples, despite the Presidents’ Day holiday and the closure of government offices. New Jersey will also recognize civil unions from other states with similar laws and offer couples the same rights, though they will not recognize the union by any other name.

While Massachusetts is still the only state that offers gay marriage, the Garden State’s move is in the right direction.

But even though New Jersey had the opportunity to establish the official term of “gay marriage,” the term “civil union” was a compromise for those who believe that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. This just goes to show that the word “marriage” is still too strong for some.

We can argue semantics, but the fact is that civil unions give same-sex couples the rights they deserve, even if they are not offered the same title. What matters is the ability for partners to visit each other in the hospital, to make decisions for each other’s care and well-being and to not be excluded or denied basic rights based on sexual orientation.

There is nothing banning gay marriage in the U.S. constitution, and New Jersey’s decision was based on the idea that everyone is guaranteed certain rights under the most basic of laws. It’s great to see a slightly more conservative state realize that banning civil unions just doesn’t hold up under the law of the state and country.

Whatever excuse or argument it took, we’re glad that New Jersey came to this conclusion. We hope that it’s only a matter of time until other state governments realize that regardless of social arguments, civil unions aren’t against the established law of this country.