From: Gary Wiltshire 

On Mon, 22 May 2000 08:22:50 -0400, Judy Folkenberg
 wrote:
.....
>You know France (bless those dear French people) have come up with a legal
>alternative to marriage.  It was in the NY Times about a month ago.
>Basically, as I remember, the couple goes to some government bureau and state
>that they are living together as a couple.  This means that health benefits
>can accure from one partner to another, and there's also some provisions
>concerning disbursement of goods should one partner die.  There are other
>provisions that I can't remember.  Should the couple decide to go their
>separate ways, the partnership is very easy to dissolve and does not involve
>divorce lawyers or great expense.
>
>France originally enacted the legislation to allow homosexual couples some
>legal status as a couple.  What has come as a surprise is how many
>hetersexual couples are using this law to proclaim their coupledom.
.....
That's pretty much what Vermont just enacted -- but the damned STATE still has a say.

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