Domestic Partner Registry

Today's a good day to talk about the rights of domestic partners who are the same sex or who are over the age of 62. Many of you might know that in July of 2007, the Washington Legislature passed the Domestic Partner Registry. It applies to partners who share a residence who are at least 18 years old, not married or in a partnership with anybody else, and people who are consenting to that kind of a partnership. You can't be nearer in the family line than second cousins, just as if you were marrying that person, and the people can be either the same sex, or at least 62 years old. People who are in that kind of a situation can register their partnership, and if they do, they gain certain rights which would only apply to married people. For instance, registered domestic partners have the right to bring a wrongful death action, which only applied before to a spouse or a child. They have the right to get the medical records of their partner if they are disabled. They have the same rights as a spouse for hospital visitation and medical decisions. They have the right to arrange funeral services. They have inheritance rights, the same as a spouse would under the intestacy laws.

Even though the law greatly expands the rights of same sex partners or those over 62 who are partners, there might be some difficulty applying the law. For instance, you might travel out of state, or there might be a delay in proving the partnership. So even if you decide to use the registry, there's still one best bet. Whether you're registered or not, prepare Powers of Attorney so that you have a written statement of what the partner can and can't do for you during your lifetime if you're disabled. And, of course, write a Last Will or a Trust which gives the inheritance that you intend directly to your partner. These documents make it very clear to your family what your wishes are. The documents are immediately available, and your partner has access to take care of your good healthcare when needed.

For more information, go to my website, wheretheresawilltheresaway.net. Once again, wheretheresawilltheresaway.net, no punctuation. Or go to the Chat with Women Web site, and you'll be able to click to my site right from there.

Have a great day