Appeals Court Says State Must Recognize Canadian Marriage of New York Lesbian Couple
The ACLU has issued a press release praising the ruling:
"This is a victory for families, it’s a victory for fairness and it’s a victory for human rights," said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the NYCLU. “Congratulations to all same-sex couples validly married outside of New York State: You are now considered married in New York as well. Now we need to work toward a New York where you don’t have to cross state or country lines to get married."
After blasting liberal praise of the ruling and linking to a NY Times piece, titled "Wedlock Without Borders" This tidbit appears in today’s edition of the WSJ Best of the Web:
A story from London’s Sunday Telegraph, however, ought to sound a cautionary note:
Husbands with multiple wives have been given the go-ahead to claim extra welfare benefits following a year-long Government review, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.
Even though bigamy is a crime in Britain, the decision by ministers means that polygamous marriages can now be recognised formally by the state, so long as the weddings took place in countries where the arrangement is legal.
The outcome will chiefly benefit Muslim men with more than one wife, as is permitted under Islamic law. Ministers estimate that up to a thousand polygamous partnerships exist in Britain, although they admit there is no exact record.
Current multicultural ideology grants Muslims the status of an oppressed class, and that may tend to obscure the worrying lesson in the British case–which is that the principle of deferring to foreign mores will not necessarily lead to results that are more "progressive" by anyone’s lights.
Our earlier report on the decision with opinion excerpts is here.