By LEE CARPENTER For more than a decade, the freedom to marry has been available to Maryland’s same-sex couples.
Those who have approached the altar, the chuppah, or the courthouse and tied the knot enjoy legal benefits that were denied them as domestic partners.
These include the right to receive an inheritance if one partner dies without a will, and to avoid Maryland’s hefty inheritance tax.
Under the new legislation, these rights are now available to Maryland’s unmarried couples as well. By registering as domestic partners, unmarried couples can ensure that if one partner dies without a will, the survivor will be entitled to an inheritance equivalent to what a surviving spouse would receive.