Along with rights under civil unions come responsibilities. As with a marriage, you take on the obligation of caring for your civil partner, both financially and emotionally. Legal civil unions are, therefore, commitments that shouldn't be entered into lightly. Learn how these relationships require the same level of consideration and respect as marriages.
In the states where civil unions are recognized, a civil partner isn't considered a "single" individual. If one civil partner received state benefits prior to the civil union, the other partner's income might affect eligibility as of the legal date of the civil union. For instance, your additional income may make your civil partner ineligible for food stamps, subsidized state healthcare, low-income housing, state child support or other welfare benefits.
Prior to some states' legalization of civil unions, the dissolution of a relationship sometimes resulted in unfair distribution of assets to one partner--and financial devastation to another. When civil unions became legal, civil union dissolution followed suit.
When legal civil unions dissolve, states apply the same obligations and protections to civil partners as when a marriage ends in divorce. This could include:
If you decide to start a family during your civil union, your partner's child or an adopted child becomes your responsibility; you're held to the same parenting obligations as to your natural child. If you become a parent during the civil union, responsibilities continue even if the civil union is later dissolved. The state could impose child support obligations and other parental duties.