Why marriage matters

This article is heart wrenching. It is incredible that in the 21^st century two adults who love each other and don't harm anybody have to see their lives torn to shreds by idiotic parents who value their religious bigotry more than their son's happiness and well-being:

Brett Conrad spent more than half his life as Patrick Atkins' partner. For 25 years, the men shared bank accounts, apartments and eventually a home in Fishers.

But when Atkins, 47, fell seriously ill in 2005, Conrad faced what many gay Hoosiers consider a travesty: no law guaranteeing them the same rights as married couples to participate in care decisions for their ill partners.

Conrad, 47, spent much of the past two years trying to win guardianship of Atkins from Atkins' parents, Thomas and Jeanne of Carmel. Jeanne Atkins is quoted in court documents as saying she believes homosexuality is a sin and that she disapproves of the men's relationship. The parents have barred Conrad from visiting their now-disabled son in their home where he lives.

In June, Conrad won visitation rights from the Indiana Court of Appeals, but the court upheld an earlier Hamilton County ruling that left control of Atkins' care to his parents.

It seems incredible that after 25 years together two people who clearly loved and cared for each other can be torn apart by one's parents, just because they don't agree with the gender of their son's soul mate.

The courts, obviously, must follow the dictates of the law, which puts the parents in charge when no legal papers have been signed by couples giving each other power of attorney, but even so, this is what a judge in the case had to say:

"We are confronted here with the heartbreaking fracture of a family," the judges wrote in their ruling. "Brett and Patrick have spent 25 years together as life partners -- longer than Patrick lived at home with his parents -- and their future life together has been destroyed by Patrick's tragic medical condition and by the Atkinses' unwillingness to accept their son's lifestyle."

At least somebody gets it.

How awful. All my sympathies go to Brett in his efforts to be rejoined one day with his love Patrick, since, Patrick's parents don't seem to be looking after his best interests according to what his mother told Brett:

Regardless of how the courts rule in the Conrad-Atkins case, the Atkinses aren't likely to change their minds about their son's relationship.

Jeanne Atkins testified at trial that it was "probably true" she would not let the men see each other unless required by law.

The record also shows that she told Conrad that if her son was going to return to life with his partner after recovering from his stroke, she would prefer he not recover at all.

I almost wish that she's right about the existence of her God, since she would definitely not be welcomed in his kingdom after saying something like that.

Hell, even Satan would despise a person like that!!