During the last decade, one of the red-hot issues has been the definition of marriage. The Christian right are firmly rooted in the traditional definition which limits marriage to one man and one woman. The test is biological sex and there are to be no exceptions. Even though, for whatever reason, the couple may not be able to have children, that's still the only valid form of marriage. The liberals prefer the notion that marriage is for two people who love each other and want their commitment to be recognized by the state. This makes same-sex marriage acceptable. For the insurance industry, this represents an interesting challenge.
All married couples should receive equally cheap auto insurance, no matter straight or gay with adopted children.
Taking this purely as a matter of statistics, married couples have a strong record of making fewer claims. In fact, the safest drivers are married couples with young children. They drive as if transporting the most valuable cargo in the world, taking absolutely no chances at junctions or in overtaking. Now that some states are legalizing different forms of union and give them formal recognition, insurers will have to modify the way they assess the data. As it stands, there's no formal acknowledgement of any difference in the rates but, in a recent survey carried out in New York, it was found that gay men pay about $400 a year more than straight men. When challenged, the local insurers said the claims records showed gay men were involved in more accidents. Yet there's no doubt gay men also miss out on lower rates because they are unmarried and childless. So how should insurers react now that gay couples can marry in some states and adopt children?
The answer is there should be no discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation. So if comparable straight couples with adopted children are paying lower rates, the same cheap insurance should be made available to same-sex couples. This is not something open to debate. The law outlaws the discrimination and, in an increasing number of states, recognizes the marriages as valid. The law therefore requires cheap auto insurance rates for all.
