DOMESTIC UNION CARD™ A Demographic Revolution that Changed the Concept of Marriage

The way of formalising  marital relationships has rapidly evolved over the last 30 years, but, in the last decade, it has undergone significant development. Whether or not the changes are translated into legislation they have already turned into reality.

In 2004, under Michael Howard, Prime Minister Theresa May voted in favor of civil partnerships. Under Cameron’s leadership, Mrs. May helped ensure that proposals for equal marriage was on the agenda – promising a review ahead of the 2010 election. In government, working alongside the Liberal Democrat’s, Lynne Featherstone, May worked to secure a Coalition-wide agreement.

If you ask yourself why these changes are occurring, you may notice the link between the demographic and social changes taking place in the world and our perception of human rights. Alongside the waves of emigration occurring all over the world causing  demographical changes, the LGBTQ community is becoming more visible. Together with these developments medicine and technology improve quality of life and longevity-, and, in some countries, the majority of the population are old-age pensioners.

However, in this new reality more and more couples cannot marry within state institutions, some because they don’t share the same citizenship and some because they share the same gender. Others simply do not want to marry within state institutions because were once married and found the process difficult and burdensome and they do not want to repeat it. Some young people believe that the subject of marriage is too private and there is no place for a representative of the state to intervene or approve them, only because he has the authority to do so

Demographic changes mean searching for a solution for those who have none, and finding  new solutions to suit the spirit of change in time and place. The common factor of the entire process is the feeling that the issue of marriage and marital choice must be private, personal and intimate and not regulated by a representative of the state. In this sense, there is no difference between a relationship mandated by a representative of the state who is a clergyman or a civil official.

When I recognised the need for a change, I realised the solution for marriage in the current era without creating chaos obligates us, on the one hand, to restore the sovereignty and the right of choice to the individual and the couple and to create a means of reporting that choice to the state; not give the state or its representative the authority to prevent or disqualify the couple’s legal recognition, merely to accept it and respect it.

In order to legalise this revolutionary change in perception of the validity of relationships and marriage, we created a private mechanism built on the customary legal system that does not harm the social order. The new marriage mechanism is a private marriage. According to this method a couple declares their choice of spouse before an attorney, before whom they sign an affidavit attesting to the truthfulness of their statement, without which they are liable to the penalties stipulated in the law and on this basis, they are issued a DOMESTIC UNION CARD™. The DOMESTIC UNION CARD™  is a legally admissible and binding document which has long been registered as a trade mark in the EU countries.

The DOMESTIC UNION CARD™ constitutes evidence that the spouses are married in a private marriage and; therefore, are entitled to full recognition and rights equal to married couples. It does not preclude holding any religious or traditional ceremony the couple wishes to have to respect their religious tradition. This is the natural way to complete the present social change that respects the individual and the state and this may be the future of marriage around the world.

Author

Irit Rosenblum Adv.

New Family

www.newfamily.org.il

In collaboration with

Raanan Berlad

Berlad Graham LLP

www.berladgrahamllp.com