My point is that if you choose to partner up a certificate won't make a darned bit of difference to your relationship, al least not in Europe.
Actually - it will make all the difference in the world!
In Ireland, when one partner dies, the spouse can inherit everything tax-free. A live-in-lover can't, meaning the death of one partner is likely to cost the other the house.
Similarly, if one partner falls ill, without the piece of paper the other partner hasn't even got visitation rights, let alone the power of attorney. If the family of the ill partner is on good terms with the healthy partner, then there will be no problem, the family will defer to the partner, but, if the family are hostile to the partner they would have the legal right to stop hospital visits and to take over power of attorney.
In more day-to-day stuff it also affects your tax bands and your entitlement to various benefits.
Finally, while the government in the UK may be good enough to allow partners to take over pensions, not everyone works for the UK government, and not every government is as forward thinking. Unless you are married, if you die your employer has ever right NOT to give your partner a widow's pension.
In fact its the straights that seem to be fighting for equal non-religious rights with gays here. America seems to be a little behind the times here.
What is there to fight for? If you don't want a church involved you can just have a civil wedding. You've been able to do that for as long as I can remember.
Gay rights and abortion don't even come close to making it on the political agenda this sida the pond
Speak for yourself. If you pop across the Irish sea to the island next to you you'll find a very different reality. Our government are working on a controversial abortion bill this very second!
Generalisations are dangerous - be careful of them!
B.