R.I. Governor Vetoes Bill Granting Same-Sex Couples Right to Plan Funerals
This is one of the most appalling political decisions I have ever seen.
The bill was introduced after Mark Goldberg’s experience in R.I. in 2008. Mark’s partner, who had no immediate family members, killed himself after a battle with depression. The state refused to grant Mark the right to claim his partner’s body and carry out his express wishes for a funeral and cremation - even after no one else came forward to claim the body. The government put him through a humiliating month-long battle, in which he had to beg for the right to bury his dead partner. The state had no obligation to grant him this “privilege,” since he and his partner were not married and, thus, were not recognized as family under the law. An exception was eventually made.
Listening to Mark tell his story to the Senate Judiciary Committee in the spring was one of the saddest moments of my year. The state legislature decided that though they were unwilling to grant marriage equality, no one should have to go through what Mark went through. Apparently Governor Carcieri disagrees.
I will never understand this.
If a friend ever asks you why marriage equality really matters? Why a stamp of approval from the government is important? Remember this story. Married couples do not have to go through this.
