# SSM between heterosexual partners?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ssm-between-heterosexual-partners/684308>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [March 22, 2014, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ssm-between-heterosexual-partners/684308 "2014-03-22T19:30:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ssm-between-heterosexual-partners/684308/21 "2014-03-23T17:39:50Z")

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> [@DrFidelius](#):
>
> I believe that particular trope became zeerust when easy, no-fault divorce became the norm (in America). When the marriage contract is that simple to dissolve, there is no reason to build the limit in up front.

Maybe. But it’s still a different case from “let’s get married forever, and break it off if it somehow doesn’t work for some reason.”

Contracted cohabitation would be a useful option for, say, the college years or early career years, and would dispense with the pointless emotional wrangling and legal battles that burden even the simplest mutually-desired divorce.

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**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ssm-between-heterosexual-partners/684308/22 "2014-03-27T10:21:07Z")

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I guess you could make an argument that it could be more likely, because you can’t dissolve a same-sex marriage on the basis of non-consumation, mainly because nobody could decide what exactly consumating a same-sex marriage would entail.

But it would be a pretty crap argument, given that you could use similar evidence to non-consumation to get a divorce.

> [@Quartz](#):
>
> I suppose the obvious candidates for hetero SSM here in the UK are the home-owning elderly. If you marry, your partner inherits tax free. Consider two elderly siblings living together. Without marriage, if one dies, the other may have to sell the house to pay inheritance tax. (IHT here comes in at a much lower level than the US.) Plus, the next inheritor gets a double IHT allowance.

No. You can’t marry your sibling, gay, straight or whatever.

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**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ssm-between-heterosexual-partners/684308/23 "2014-03-27T10:23:17Z")

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> [@Miller](#):
>
> I doubt people in that situation would bother with a wedding.

Don’t you have to have a wedding to get married? Standing up in front of some official and saying the required words is still a wedding even if you have no guests.

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**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ssm-between-heterosexual-partners/684308/24 "2014-03-27T17:55:58Z")

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> [@SciFiSam](#):
>
> Don’t you have to have a wedding to get married? Standing up in front of some official and saying the required words is still a wedding even if you have no guests.

Yeah, not sure what i was thinking there.

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