[Aquila]

Cohabitation agreements, powers of attorney, wills, etc. can secure most of the rights couples in civil marriages have. And these can be chosen and tailored to meet the needs, beliefs, and convictions of each individual couple instead of the cookie cutter civil contract that the state offers. Quakers have used these with success for generations.

It was asked, what if someone wanted part of the house? If it isn't stipulated in the cohabitation agreement, sorry, it can't be had. This allows individuals to protect their assets from those who would use civil statutes of civil marriage to take them to the cleaners, requiring complete liquidation of assets, and any arbitrary 50/50 division statute.

So, this form of union obviously requires more communication and planning to form. Which is actually a good thing.

But EB is right, the state has authority to handle issues like custody and child support, civil marriage or not, if couples don't agree to terms privately it through arbitration.