Question: What is this paragraph saying? The thesis statement? What can I say to the author about what she said? An opposing view for granting cohabitating couples to have the same legal rights as a married couple may be that there would be no point in marriage and that the union of marriage would be considered less valuable. Many who oppose believe that if a couple wants legal rights, then they should marry. Marriage has often been regarded as a symbol of status even today where getting married and having children is the "traditional social norm." Another argument that can be made is that marriage was created so the married couple could have legal rights when it came to the children, inheritance, and property. Confusion with legality issues may arise if the same legal rights were extended to cohabitating partners and financial and property disputes may be more complex. An argument for giving cohabiting couples legal rights as married couples is that more people are intentionally choosing not to get married but still want to protect their assets/children. Therefore, they should be given fair and equal treatment under the law when in a committed relationship. Cohabiting couples are more common now and our laws should reflect these changes in families. Granting these couples the same protections as married couples would be more beneficial to the family and increase the family's stability.