And so marriages around the country are collapsing

....aren't they? Society falling apart? Married couples take to the street with guns?

Well... it IS just Oregon....

Salem, OR (AHN) - Delivering on a campaign promise, Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed legislation Wednesday that will give same-sex couples in Oregon many of the legal rights that only married couples now enjoy.

With the democratic governor's signature, same-sex couples in the Beaver State -- beginning Jan. 1 --will be on the same legal footing as married couples when it comes to estate planning and medical decision-making, but the Oregon stops short of civil union laws on the books in Vermont and Connecticut.

The Family Fairness Act, as it is formally known, was introduced in the Democrat-led Legislature as a "civil unions" bill, but to allay criticism, the bill's supporters changed the bill to "domestic partnerships," which they say is a more accurate description, and more politically acceptable to religious moderates who might oppose gay marriage but support the notion of domestic partnership.

"I started this legislative session declaring that this is the session of opportunity, where we will succeed in affording all Oregonians the same rights and protections under the law - and where we will formally recognize that diversity and equality of opportunity makes us all stronger, not weaker," Kulongoski said in a statement.

The governor also signed into law a bill that beginning Jan. 1 bans discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people in employment, housing and access to public accommodations.