Since the civil union law went into effect last July, Vermont has issued more than 1,800 civil unions, less than 500 of which went to state residents. The bill, which was already approved by the House, now goes to Governor Jane Hull's desk to await action, but a spokeswoman for Hull said the governor has not decided how to proceed. In the case, the province gave the estate of a gay man who died without a will to his daughters instead of his partner. The government will not fight the ruling and plans to change over 60 laws to treat people equally regardless of sex or marital status. When Ireland's Census first asked a question about cohabitation in 1996, it found more than 60,000 people who described themselves as living with an unmarried partner.
Legal experts are concerned because unmarried partners have almost no legal rights in that country.
Women in Cameroon Condemn Forced Marriages of Girls Women in northern Cameroon, who met with administrative and traditional authorities in their provinces recently, have publicly condemned the early and forced marriages of young girls. The protesters say that early marriage harms the girls' health and limits their education. Planned reforms in Scotland will give unmarried fathers full legal rights over their children. Currently, if a father wants parental rights he has to marry his child's mother, register an agreement in court with the mother, or get a court order. The planned changes would affect only fathers whose names are on their children's birth certificates.