News-Record.com

Maine's "act to end discrimination in civil marriage," doesn't live up to its name, the Libertarian Party says.

While the new law, signed by Maine's governor yesterday, ends the prohibition on same-sex marriage and also marriages of first cousins, it leaves other restrictions.

Among them:

"A person may not marry that person's parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling, nephew, niece, aunt, uncle or first cousin."

(First cousins may marry, the law goes on, if they have had genetic counseling.)

Also:

"A marriage contracted while either party has a living wife or husband from whom
the party is not divorced is void."

In a statement yesterday, the Libertarian Party praised Maine's action but urged states "to take the proper approach to marriage equality and repeal government definitions and regulation of marriage entirely."

Donny Ferguson, Libertarian National Committee communications director, explained:

“The Libertarian Party position is simple. The government should not police consensual agreements between adults. Government should recognize the marriage of any consenting parties entering into an agreement, and businesses and individuals should retain the right to choose for themselves who to bestow private benefits to.

"We are the only party that not only supports marriage equality, but would completely do away with government's ability to restrict it."

The same-sex marriage movement has tremendous momentum, but changes to marriage likely won't end even if it reaches its objectives in all 50 states. I believe the Libertarians have correctly identified one possible conclusion -- government recognition of all consensual agreements between or among adults as, effectively, a marriage, without restrictions.

The other possible conclusion is that it recognizes none.

Nothing else is true "equality" as that's being currently defined.