If "civil unions" were considered the same as marriage, then marriage wouldn't be needed in the gay community. The fact of the matter is, they are NOT. A Congressional study found that there are over 1600 legal "benefits" to marriage - many of them pretty obscure.

But here's the problem. Let's say we make civil unions legal.

Cool. Maybe we've solved the "default inheritance" problem with that.

...but what about health insurance coverage? Hospital visitation rules? Dozens upon dozens of other things and EACH ONE of them now has to be addressed.

If you call it a marriage, then all those things that had to be individually addressed before are now taken care of.

You tell me who more represents the "sanctity" of marriage.. My aunt who spent over 15 years with her partner or Newt Gingrich who was a serial adulterer and *really* looked bad in that infamous interview where he claimed it was be he so loved the country.