> In the US a marriage is not a contract. We are not Ferengi. A marriage is a license from the state. That is so strange to me. In many European contracts, by

> In the US a marriage is not a contract. We are not Ferengi. A marriage is a license from the state. That is so strange to me. In many European contracts, by default (unless you modify it with further contracts), marriage makes you co-owner of each other's property _and debts_, it makes you responsible for caring for each other no matter what happens, it automatically recognizes both sides as parents of any children born during the marriage, and so on. Even in case of divorce later there are alimony rights, and if there are children you probably have to deal with each other forever. How can you go into such a big arrangement with each other and not have it be a contract?