Heterosexual couple lose High Court bid for civil partnership

A heterosexual couple have lost a High Court challenge to be able to enter into a civil partnership.

Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan want to enjoy the same rights as same-sex couples and mark their commitment with a civil union.

“It can not be right that same-sex couples have two options, civil partnerships and civil marriages; whereas opposite-sex partners have only one option, marriage”.

The couple claimed that the government’s position on civil partnerships is “incompatible with equality law”.

Tim Loughton, Tory MP for Worthing East and Shoreham, now has a Private Members’ Bill going through Parliament, to amend the Civil Partnership Act to remove the clause limiting civil partnerships to same sex couples.

Same-sex marriage became legal in England, Wales and Scotland in 2014, giving gay couples a choice between that and civil partnership.

“Civil partnerships are an institution that already exists, and offer the same legal protections afforded to married couples to those couples who feel that marriage is not for them”.

Her partner added: “We don’t think there is sufficient justification for stopping us or other opposite-sex couples from forming civil partnerships”.

Following a High Court defeat, Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan said the fight on behalf of themselves and more than 36,000 people who have signed their petition “calling for civil partnership equality” had not come to an end. Civil partnerships are a modern social institution conferring nearly identical legal rights and responsibilities as marriage, but without its history and social expectations.

“Unfortunately, the judge has concluded otherwise”, she said.

“The Judge did however acknowledge that there will be many people who sympathise with our view “that it is unfair that a route to state recognition of their relationship which is open to a same-sex couple…remains unavailable to them because they are heterosexual”.

Mr Keidan called for Parliament to take action in the wake of the legal ruling to open up civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples.

The government additionally argued that civil partnerships may be phased out now that same-sex couples can legally marry and, therefore, offering civil partnerships to heterosexual couples in the meantime would be “costly and complex”.

‘We campaigned for equal marriage and believe that the significance and symbolism of opening marriage to same-sex couples can not be overstated.

He said avoiding “unnecessary costs and disruption pending a final decision on civil partnerships is obviously a legitimate aim”.