Supporters reply that abuse will most likely beminimal, since other cities that have enacteddomestic partnership laws have experienced littlesuch trouble.
George E. Benson, president of the Seattle citycouncil which passed a health benefits ordinancein 1990, says that "people have respected [theordinance]."
"Over-utilization is not a problem," he says.
City Councillor William H. Walsh raised anotherissue at Wednesday night's meeting, suggestingthat perhaps legislating the inclusion on onegroup of people in city benefit plans would simplyserve to exclude other groups.
"The problem is I think you cover everybody oryou cover nobody," says Walsh, who expressedconcern that the bill does not include othernon-traditional families, for instance those thatconsist of only siblings.
"You're creating another class of employees whodon't get benefits," Walsh says.
A dozen American cities have already adopteddomestic partnership ordinances. The Percentage ofemployees registering for domestic partnershipvaries from nearly 10 percent in Berkeley to lessthan one percent in neighboring San Francisco.
Berkeley, which was the first city to adoptsuch a law, also allows non-residents to registeras "domestic couples."
While Berkeley has the highest participationrate, Marc Slavin, spokesperson for Mayor LonniHancock says that "most of people who areparticipating are heterosexual."
But even if the highest participation comesfrom straight couples, the law is undeniablydesigned to primarily address the needs of gay menand lesbians. The city, they say, has beenignoring both their rights and reality for toolong.
"It is incumbent upon the City of Cambridge toenter in debate on behalf of families, not thefantasy families in the mind of Dan Quayle," Hydesays.