French Civil Unions Seen as Marriage Lite

P A R I S, April 17 -- France resolved its debate over same-sex marriage several years ago by creating civil unions. But the law has had unexpected effects.

What began as a way to provide some legal protection for people in homosexual relationships has become a real alternative for heterosexual couples in France, thousands of whom come to municipal offices to sign "civil pacts of solidarity," or PACS, rather than get married.

‘Now We Have Rights’

The ceremony itself takes just a few minutes. The couple goes to a court and assures the clerk they are not married to anyone else. After a few more basic questions, the papers are signed and the PACS is official.

"Now we have rights," a woman in a same-sex union says, "which we didn't have a few hours ago."

Under the civil pact, each partner is eligible for the other's work benefits. And after three years, they can get the same tax breaks as married couples. Ending the PACS can be as quick and easy as signing one.

"It is not necessary to divorce," says Daniel Borrillo, a legal specialist. "It is only necessary to inform the authorities that you decided to terminate the contract."

If there's a dispute, one party gives notice, and three months later, it's over.

The PACS law was hugely controversial when it was going through the French parliament in the late 1990s. Opponents of the law clashed with its supporters.

The law passed, but only after it was expanded to make heterosexuals eligible for civil unions as well. Otherwise, some argued, the law would be discriminatory.

It turned out to be a big change.

Marriage Attitudes

Some straight couples opting for the civil pact are older and have married before, but most are young couples.

In a country with a divorce rate of 38 percent, where some 40 percent of children are born out of wedlock, many consider marriage an obsolete institution.