ALT-15 Best Reasons to Marry
There are plenty of devoted couples who never marry, and that's fine. Their love for one another is no less than that of a married couple. And divorce rates show that many couples who do marry are not suited to each other or at least have jumped into marriage too soon.
Having said this, I do believe in marriage - a good thing since I'm due to get married in April! - and the reason is that I think it is a gesture that says 'I'm yours forever and I want you to be mine forever too'. It won't make you love the person any more greatly, but it should add an extra glow of security to the relationship, and she gets to wear a nice sparkly ring!
Another good reason to marry is that it adds legal protection. Let's take an example: Let's say that your loved one was seriously injured. If you aren't married power of attorney, and responsibility for making decisions such as whether life support should be turned off, could revert to your partner's parents. By being married, you get all the rights and can make sure that your spouse is treated in a way that you know they would have wanted. It will also make it easier when it comes to getting financial benefits.
I also think that if you're bringing kids into the world, then it's good for them to grow up knowing that their parents have made that level of commitment to each other. I guess the days of kids being teased for being illegitimate have passed, but there must still be insecurities where they see that other kids' parents are married whereas their parents aren't.
In summary, I think marriage is a statement that legally, financially, and emotionally, you are partners for life, and that no matter what happens in life you have someone to back you up. You will go through the good times together and the bad times together, and you're saying to the rest of the world that you trust this person so much that you don't mind if they take decisions for you should you become incapacitated.
