Same-sex union legislation marriages performed in the Netherlands are recognized in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. Whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry has been and remains the topic of debate worldwide. Thirty-four countries and four jurisdictions worldwide have passed constitutional amendments that explicitly prohibit the legal recognition of same-sex marriage and sometimes other forms of legal unions as well. Seventeen countries and twenty-nine jurisdictions worldwide have authorized civil unions or unregistered cohabitation for same-sex couples as an alternative to marriage. The legal name of those unions as well as the number of rights that they provide can vary greatly. The first
Cohabitation in the United States Partners Registry, granting them limited legal recognition and some rights similar to those of married couples. Two states, Mississippi and Michigan, have laws on their books against cohabitation by opposite-sex couples. Anti-cohabitation laws are often not enforced although until recently, cohabitants were regularly being charged with misdemeanors in Florida. On March 22, 2016, the Florida legislature voted to repeal the state's ban on cohabitation. The Florida Governor Rick Scott signed the bill into law on 6 April 2016. Many legal scholars believe that in light of in "Lawrence v. Texas", such laws making cohabitation illegal are unconstitutional (North Carolina Superior