Registered partnership

Registered partnership is one of several terms for a civil union or civil partnership similar to marriage, typically created for the purposes of allowing same-sex couples access to the legal and social benefits of traditional marriage. The term is used in Scandinavian countries. Registered partnerships grant more rights than civil unions in most countries, and are nearly equal to marriage, with the exception of the right to adopt and to marry in a church. In Sweden, however, same-sex couples were given the right to adopt children in 2002. Iceland will legalize adoption as well by the end of 2006. Norway allows adoption of a legal partner's children only.

The main argument against registered partnerhip is that it creates a situation of separate but equal. It is expected that same-sex couples in Scandinavia, Iceland and Finland will soon be granted the right to marry; in fact it may occur in Sweden in 2007.

In other places registered partnerships have been instituted by municipalites, and are often one of the first steps in government recognition of same-sex relationships. These varieties usually confer few actual benefits or obligations.

Many countries have enacted a Registered Partnership Act to allow for registered partnership.

See also

• Registered Partnership Act
• Domestic partnership
• Civil union / Civil partnership
• Same-sex marriage

External Links

Recent book by Darren Spedale and William Eskridge, Jr. on the Scandinavian Registered Partnership laws: [1]

Recent article by Darren Spedale, William Eskridge, Jr. and Hans Ytterberg on the effect of the Registered Partnership Laws on society: [2]