MOUNT LAUREL, NJ (1010 WINS) -- New Jersey will become the third state with civil unions for gay couples starting Monday as a law passed last year under pressure from the state Supreme Court takes effect.
1010 WINS AUDIO: Glenn Schuck reports
Civil unions offer all the legal benefits of marriage the state can offer — except the title — to gay couples. The Legislature decided to offer them in December, on the heels of an October court ruling that held gay couples in the state were constitutionally entitled to all the benefits of marriage.
Instead of following Massachusetts, the only state that now allows gay couples to marry, the state Legislature chose to offer civil unions, as Vermont and Connecticut have.
1010 WINS VIDEO: NJ Court Opens Door to Gay Marriage (Oct. 25, 2006)
Civil unions offer significantly more rights and responsibilities than domestic partnerships, which New Jersey has offered for nearly three years. For instance, when civil unions break up — following procedures that mirror divorces — they property must be divided equitably and one party may have to pay alimony. Other benefits include adoption rights, hospital visitation and some tax benefits.
Read New Jersey's Civil Union Law (PDF)
At least a few hundred of the state's estimated 20,000 gay couples — those who have civil unions or marriages from the states or nations that allow them — will automatically be in civil unions in this state at 12:01 a.m. Monday. In the nearly seven years Vermont has had civil unions, just under 300 couples from New Jersey have registered; officials in Connecticut said they could not say how many New Jersey couples who have had civil unions performed there, but it likely a lower number.
RELATED STORY: Civil Unions Don't Cut it for State's First 'Married' Gay Couple
In New Jersey, the first ceremonies can happen in the first minutes of Monday morning. Couples who have civil unions from those other states may reaffirm them in New Jersey when the law takes effect.
For couples who are not already in civil unions, there is a 72-hour waiting period after applying for a license — just like with marriages.
A few town halls around the state were to open at 12:01 a.m. Monday so couples could have their paperwork done before ceremonies planned for Thursday, including a few in the first minutes of the day.
The arrival of civil unions has not ended the debate over whether New Jersey should allow gay couples to marry.
Conservative activists are circulating petitions aimed to persuading lawmakers to amend the state constitution to define marriage as being between a man and a woman. Voters would be required to have a say before the constitution can be amended.
Gay rights advocates, meanwhile, are promising to push the Legislature to allow gay couples to marry. Some are also considering filing lawsuits asking state courts to find that civil unions do not go far enough toward ensuring equal treatment for gay couples.
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