What Will Happen If North Carolina's Amendment 1 Passes
Residents of North Carolina will vote on Amendment 1 today. Amendment 1 says: "Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state." Here's everything you need to know about the consequences of its passage.
The language of Amendment 1 would restrict protections for all unmarried couples – whether they are straight or gay.
If Amendment 1 passes, the courts could interpret the Amendment to bar the state from giving any protections to unmarried couples – straight or gay. This could:
Prevent the state from giving committed couples protections that help them order their relationships, including the right to:
determine the disposition of their deceased partner’s remains,
visit their partner in the hospital in the event of a medical emergency,
make emergency medical decisions for their partner if their partner is incapacitated,
and make financial decisions for their partner if their partner is incapacitated.
North Carolina's attorney general said Amendment 1's lack of clarity will result in a significant amount of litigation on many issues which will be decided by courts for years to come.
North Carolina domestic violence laws could be called into question, threatening North Carolina victims of domestic violence.
If courts interpreted Amendment 1 in a far-reaching manner, the Amendment could even invalidate trusts, wills, and end-of-life directives by one partner in favor of the other.
Amendment 1 would also eliminate the domestic partner insurance benefits currently offered to their employees by a number of local governments, including Chapel Hill, Durham, Greensboro, and Mecklenburg and Orange Counties.
Lastly, North Carolina citizens, who should all be equal under the law, will be discriminated by their own State, their own Representatives, and their own citizens.
