Mary Cheney Is Having a Boy

Mary Cheney will be having a boy when she gives birth next month, said her father, Vice President Dick Cheney. He also said he’s “delighted” to be a grandparent for the sixth time, but reiterated that he thought same-sex relationship recognition should remain a state matter. “I obviously think it’s important for us as a society to be tolerant and respectful of whatever arrangements people enter into,” he added.

Hmm. Hope he realizes that the Social Security payments his wife will enjoy after he dies (assuming he goes first) are a benefit Mary and partner Heather won’t share. That’s a federal benefit, not a state one. Yes, Mary’s Social Security will pass to her child, in the absence of a legal spouse, but Heather’s won’t, unless the State of Virginia surprises us and allows her to adopt her son. And that still leaves the surviving partner out of the loop. Let’s hope Baby Cheney is a generous and financially responsible soul, who will take care of his parents. No, scratch that. Mary and Heather won’t have to rely on Social Security for their retirement. The point applies to many of the other same-sex families out there who aren’t so lucky.

Still, I wish Mary and Heather the best in these final weeks of pre-parenthood. I won’t wish ill on any new parents, and I hope they have the peace to focus on their child, not the media, in his early days.

(The Washington Post via AMERICAblog.)