Dear Government,
I'm getting married in a little more than two months, for some definition of the word. I'm not sure whether we're going to sign on to your institution. It seems wrong to me that you deny benefits to some couples and not others, even though we look reasonably like a hetero couple and qualify for the institution. I'm lucky enough that K is willing to talk through the reasons for my reluctance and that we're in a financial position where I don't depend on any of the benefits of the institution.
So I've been doing some research about how we can start a family together, how we can designate each other as beneficiaries, how assumptions of paternity will figure in to how our children will be treated. I looked up and read a sample co-parenting agreement. I've learned that surrogacy isn't always legal and that adultery laws can override the mutual consent of the parties involved (though apparently this isn't often enforced).
And after this research, I have a question for you, government.
I am an adult, and I am trying to put together a contract with another adult so that we can form a family. We want to take proactive measures to ensure the welfare of our future children and make sure that we have signed an agreement that will sustain our happiness and stability in the (hopefully many) years to come, and we've found that the institution you've put together doesn't always suit us. We're willing to put in the work to find a better way, and it won't cost you anything.
Why won't you let us?
Regards,
JP
