The state senate in Alabama has approved a bill which, if signed into law, would eliminate marriage licenses in the state. Not just gay marriage licenses, mind you. All marriage licenses. There would also be no requirement for any sort of official ceremony. You’d only have to submit a few documents to a probate judge declaring that you were wed, met the minimum age requirements, weren’t already married and weren’t too closely related by blood. (And that part isn’t much of an issue in Alabama since you can marry pretty much anyone but your parents, siblings or children.) This will ostensibly rid them of the problem of probate judges refusing to grant wedding licenses to gay couples, assuming the state house passes the bill as well.
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So, assuming they manage the feat this time, what does it really mean? At a quick glance, you’d probably think that this is perfectly in line with my personal views on gay marriage and marriage in general, which I’ve written about here more times than I can count. From a small government conservative perspective, I still believe that the government (at any level) has no business demanding a permission slip from (even if you call it a license) or charging a tax (portrayed as a fee) on any two people in order to secure the official blessing of a private ceremony held in front of family and friends which has zero impact on anyone else. So this must be a good thing, right?
While we’re at it, you could specify that nobody is required to participate in any marriage ceremony or other private rituals, including the creation of cakes, photo albums, catering and all the rest, if doing so would conflict with their personal freedom of religion, speech or anything else. Let people handle marriage on their own, with the cooperation and involvement of any parties interested in participating.
Marriage licenses may soon be extinct in Alabama
With Contract Law ..... not Specialized Rights
[clip]
So, assuming they manage the feat this time, what does it really mean? At a quick glance, you’d probably think that this is perfectly in line with my personal views on gay marriage and marriage in general, which I’ve written about here more times than I can count. From a small government conservative perspective, I still believe that the government (at any level) has no business demanding a permission slip from (even if you call it a license) or charging a tax (portrayed as a fee) on any two people in order to secure the official blessing of a private ceremony held in front of family and friends which has zero impact on anyone else. So this must be a good thing, right?
While we’re at it, you could specify that nobody is required to participate in any marriage ceremony or other private rituals, including the creation of cakes, photo albums, catering and all the rest, if doing so would conflict with their personal freedom of religion, speech or anything else. Let people handle marriage on their own, with the cooperation and involvement of any parties interested in participating.
Marriage licenses may soon be extinct in Alabama
With Contract Law ..... not Specialized Rights