Tuesday August 5, 2008
Canadian Same-sex "Marriage" Forces Spousal Insurance Coverage in New York
By Tim Waggoner
NEW YORK, August 5, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Canadian same-sex "marriages" are being used to deteriorate laws in the US protecting real marriage defined as the union of one man and one woman. Last week, a New York lesbian woman won a lawsuit forcing her insurance company to provide her "spouse," who she "married" in Canada, with insurance coverage.
According to Boston News, Jeanne Kornowicz asked the New York Civil Liberties Union to file the suit for her on July 9 against Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Western New York for denying health benefits to her "spouse," Joy Higgins.
Just three weeks later, on July 28, the insurance provider released a statement saying they had adjusted their policies and will now cover same-sex couples "married" in a jurisdiction where it is legal to do so.
The case was settled so quickly because of an early 2008 landmark case that forced the Monroe Community College in Rochester to extend health benefits to the "spouse" of a lesbian employee. (http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/feb/08020406.html)
Furthermore, New York already has a "marriage recognition rule" that recognizes same-sex "marriages" performed in California, Massachusetts and Ontario. Same-sex "marriage," however, is still illegal in the state.
The specifics of the case are still being addressed, including the monetary value of damages plus interest and out of pocket expenses, such as the insurance Higgins had to purchase when she was originally denied coverage.
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