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Extend gay rights to unmarried couples A Nottingham solicitor is calling for a change in the law so that men and
women who live together but don’t marry can be given the same legal rights as those now being offered to gay couples
Sarah
Perkins,
a family law specialist at
Andersons Solicitors, says
many people who co-habit
are under the impression
that they have the same
protection in law as a
married couple.
“This is not true. Co-habiting couples are in a far more vulnerable position than their married counterparts when it comes to things like pensions, inheritance and rights over
children.
“There are
lots of myths about this. For examples, many women think they are automatically entitled to maintenance from their partner if they break up but they are not. Fathers don’t have the
same rights when it comes to access to children. From next week, gay
men and women in same sex relationships will be able to enter into civil partnerships that will give them virtually the same legal rights as those of married couples. Miss
Perkins welcomed the move but says the government should go even further
and extend the same legal protection to heterosexual couples who co-habit.
“The government may want to keep the system as it is to encourage people to get married, but the fact is that many couples
prefer to simply live together. They shouldn’t be penalised for this.”
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