Do Same-Sex Civil Unions Decrease Marriage Rates?

According to Michael Dobbs of The Washington Post “domestic partnerships or civil unions were introduced in Washington D.C. in 1992, Hawaii in 1997, Vermont and California in 2000, Maine in 2004, Connecticut in 2005, and New Jersey in 2006, and Washington in 2007. Only one state, Massachusetts (2004), permits same-sex marriage.” Marriage rates have decreased from 69.3% in 1960 to 56.3% in 2006. Marriage rates “have not fallen appreciably faster in the last decade than during the preceding four decades.”

To read the entire article, click on Sam Brownback and Gay Marriage.