The Facts on Referendum I: Domestic Partnerships

 

Colorado voters will go to the polls this November to consider Referendum I, which was sent to the ballot by a strong, bipartisan majority of Colorado lawmakers.

The referendum does NOT authorize gay marriage. Rather, it fixes a hole in state law by clarifying the legal status of committed Colorado couples.

Referendum I simply provides committed couples with basic, common sense, legal protections and responsibilities, including the right to visit a partner in the hospital, make decisions for an incapacitated partner, make funeral arrangements, direct nursing home care and secure basic property and inheritance rights.

It creates a binding, legal agreement between a committed couple to provide the basic responsibilities that they are currently denied.

  • Thousands of committed Colorado couples are not guaranteed the ability or the responsibility to make decisions regarding medical treatment for one another.
  • Thousands of committed Colorado couples are not currently guaranteed the right to make funeral arrangements for a deceased partner.
  • Thousands of committed couples lack access to heath insurance benefits through a partner’s place of business.
  • Referendum I would also help protect children by ensuring that the courts enforce the responsibility of same-sex partners to pay alimony and child support.