Abuse

I have written about the inheritance issue of domestic partnership law in California (a will without a trust is a nearly worthless piece of paper). What I recently learned is the under domestic partnership law, the debts and bankruptcy of one partner is not transferred to the other partner.

This is apparently resulting in divorce among older people with re-formation of the relationship as domestic partners.

This answers a Halachic question that arose a few years ago when elderly Jews had dying spouses whose medical expenses were on the route to destroying the assets of the surviving spouse.  The elderly Jews wanted divorces so their spouse could be moved to the welfare roles for medical coverage.  The Halachic rabbis said "No!" marriage is for better or worse.

Now there may be an answer: replace the marriage with a domestic partnership.  The couple stays together but the medical bankruptcy of one spouse will not propagate to the other.