North Carolina's Amendment One Would Harm Heterosexual Couples as Well

On May 8, North Carolinians will vote on Amendment One, a controversial amendment to the state's constitution that would define marriage between one man and one woman as the only domestic partnership legally recognized by the state.

A number of state universities, political groups, business leaders, and even President Barack Obama have spoken out against Amendment One, while a recent poll by Elon University in Raleigh suggests that six out of 10 people in the state oppose the unprecedented far-reaching nature of the proposed amendment. The debate has put North Carolina in the spotlight, with many human rights activists referring to the state as a key battleground in the fight for equal marriage rights.

While proponents of the bill mainly paint the debate as a moral issue of protecting traditional values on marriage, little has been said about the other negative effects of the bill. In many ways, Amendment One would harm heterosexual couples and their children in the same ways it would harm gay and lesbian couples.

Recognition of marriage plays a fundamental role in many aspects of the North Carolina health care system. Barring recognition of all domestic partnerships outside of traditional marriage would put unmarried couples who depend on their partner for health care, including heterosexual couples, at risk of losing their coverage. Likewise, the children of these couples would be at risk of losing health care coverage if the state is no longer legally obligated to recognize their parents' domestic partnership.

In addition, Amendment One may serve as a "get out of jail free" card for perpetrators of domestic abuse, says Protect All NC Families, an opposition group. By restricting the state's definition of a domestic partnership, unmarried men and women who are victims of domestic abuse at the hands of their partners may fall victim to narrow readings of the amendment. To deem a crime domestic violence would require the state to recognize some form of a domestic partnership, which would be unconstitutional if applied to unmarried couples. This could allow many abusers to receive less harsh punishments, or even walk free.

These are arguments that have to be made, as supporters of Amendment One seem so obsessively focused on barring gay marriage in the state (where it's already illegal for gays to marry), they're ignoring the collateral damage this Amendment will bring with it. The human rights issue at the heart of the debate should, in theory, be enough to convince voters to vote against Amendment One.

However, for those who view the debate as solely an issue of gay rights, and for those who hold an adamant moral opposition to same-sex marriage, the fact the amendment would significantly weaken North Carolina's ability to provide health care and legal protection for all couples in the state should be a heavy weighing factor when North Carolinians take to the polls on May 8.