In a surprise
move, the Nassau County, N.Y., legislature has narrowly
defeated a plan to create a registry for unmarried couples
to record domestic partnerships. The 10-8 vote,
with one abstention, came after a heated debate Monday
evening. "It is a very embarrassing moment," said
presiding officer Judy Jacobs, a supporter of the bill,
which would have allowed domestic partners of any sex
to register with the county as couples without being
married.
Opponents claimed
the registry would violate social traditions and that
its real purpose was to promote same-sex marriage. "A vote
for domestic registry is a vote for gay marriage,"
said Paul Kosowski, a leader of the Nassau County
Civics Association.
The proposal
originated with the law body's 10-member Democratic
majority. Democratic legislator Joseph Scannell surprised
his colleagues when he voted against the measure. "The
bill did not give any substantive rights," he later
said. "In the final analysis, the bill does not solve
problems. All it does is add confusion."
The law would
have made it easier for a partner to receive medical
insurance from a private employer or gain access to the
other person during a medical emergency, among other
things. Suffolk County, New York City, and Westchester
County already have such registries.
Deputy presiding
officer Roger Corbin, a Democrat, abstained from voting,
saying he is a Roman Catholic who had been lobbied by Bishop
William Murphy and clergy in his district. (AP)