Amendment One in North Carolina would ban relationship recognitions and threaten protections for ALL of the the state’s unmarried couples. Amendment One is a poorly written law that will have serious negative, unintended and harmful consequences on North Carolina’s children and families.

1. Harm To North Carolina’s Children

• Amendment One will harm children and we have a role in protecting all of North Carolina’s children. This amendment could make it impossible for parents in committed, but unmarried relationships, to provide health care benefits to children in their household. In tough times like this we should not make it harder to raise a family and protect children.

2. Negative Effects on NC Seniors

• Amendment One will hurt some of our seniors. Many older people who have previously lost spouses, but find love later in life never remarry, even though they are committed to their new partner. They do this to protect the benefits their previous spouse earned including health care, pensions, and Social Security, and Amendment One puts those benefits at jeopardy.

3. Dangerous Consequences for NC Women

• Amendment One threatens domestic violence protections for unmarried women. Domestic violence protections for unmarried women could be declared unconstitutional because Amendment One legally recognizes only married couples as a family. Women deserve protections from domestic violence whether they are married or not.Women deserve protections from domestic violence and stalking whether they are married or not. 
• According to the Attorney General, leading experts at Duke and UNC law schools, and the state’s Women’s Commission, this amendment could take away those protections against violent acts from women whether they are married to their attacker or not. That’s wrong and dangerous.

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