Whats the difference between marriage and civil union?

Silth: Whats the difference between marriage and civil union?
I read somewhere that marriage has more benefits then civil union, but they didn’t specify on what they were. Would someone be so kind to tell me the benefits that marriage has that civil union does not?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Melinda
marriage should only be for straight people

Answer by getitright
Legally they are different just by the fact that they have different names, even if they offered the same things, which they don’t.

Civil unions are not recognized at all by the federal government. Marriages are recognized by the federal government, but up until now, same-sex marriages weren’t recognized because of Section 3 of DOMA. The federal government will now recognize Massachusetts same-sex marriages due to a lawsuit by the state of Massachusetts, unless a stay is issued and the decision is appealed…

Answer by crystalcleric
It depends on the state that issues the civil unions and what they allow. Federal law includes 1138 specific rights and responsibilities for married couples. The main difference is that civil unions are currently only recognized in the states that pass them, and have no federal rights, such as joint tax filing.

Answer by Raistlin Reloaded

There are a lot of differences. One is that civil unions are not recognized by federal law – there are none of the federal benefits of marriage given to those in civil unions. Also, civil unions are not portable. You cannot take them from state to state. Furthermore, the people I know want to get married. Not civil unioned. Who wants to civil union their beloved, when they could marry them instead?

Answer by Time to Think
A civil union is a legally recognized union between two people, recognized by the government which provides benefits to people who have civil unions. It usually provides the same benefits as marriage, but instead of being called marriage it’s called a civil union.

In some places, civil unions do not provide the same benefits as marriage, but in most places they do. Examples of this include in the United Kingdom and in the U.S. state of New Jersey, where civil unions provide the same benefits as marriage.

On the other hand, in some places, such as the U.S. states of Maryland, Colorado, Maine and Hawaii, they have civil unions but they do not provide the same rights as marriage.

Answer by Downtide
In the UK the two are now identical except for one thing. A civil partnership cannot be solemnised in a place of worship. All other legal rights and benefits are now identical (although that wasn’t the case when Civil Partnerships first started).

In places other than the UK? I have no idea.