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**BREAKING** U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Rule on Gay Marriage

Most people would keep their spouse as next of kin. That isn't relevant.
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You cannot declare anyone you want as next of kin in the United States. Your understanding of how it works is incorrect.

Please describe "the extent" you are referring to. I am sorry, but you are simply mistaken. You can not choose anyone to be your next of kin in the United States. If so, please demonstrate how you would make your best friend with whom you have no blood relation to your next of kin.

You are confusing "next of kin" with a person who makes decisions for you. You can declare someone besides your spouse as your medical decision maker. You can make a will that specifically states that someone besides your spouse gets certain things (dependent on whether those "things" are considered joint property or not) or is able to make certain decisions for you. And that person does not have to be legally related to you.

Even in the UK, the next of kin legally that they have only deals with medical decision making, not everything next of kin deals with everywhere or even just legally. It doesn't work that way, and likely never will.

What other things that deal with next of kin status are you looking to gain?
 
You are confusing "next of kin" with a person who makes decisions for you. You can declare someone besides your spouse as your medical decision maker. You can make a will that specifically states that someone besides your spouse gets certain things (dependent on whether those "things" are considered joint property or not) or is able to make certain decisions for you. And that person does not have to be legally related to you.

Even in the UK, the next of kin legally that they have only deals with medical decision making, not everything next of kin deals with everywhere or even just legally. It doesn't work that way, and likely never will.

What other things that deal with next of kin status are you looking to gain?
I'm not confusing anything. A person's next of kin is the person who makes medical decisions for them in the event that they cannot. That is just one of the many benefits and responsibilities of being next of kin. Rights regarding inheritance (in absence of a will), medical decision making powers, and funeral arrangement powers are examples of legal authority given to a person's next of kin, to name the most well known.

The fact is that you cannot declare anyone you want as next of kin in the United States. If your best friend is the person you trust to be your next of kin, the law will not allow you to declare your best friend as next of kin. Your next of kin must be someone who is closely related to you or who is your spouse, and there is a set order to who is given next of kin privileges. For someone with bad family relationships but trustworthy friends, the best next of kin is a friend, not a blood relative. But in the United States, the friend will never be next of kin. That is not the best way of doing things.
 
I'm not confusing anything. A person's next of kin is the person who makes medical decisions for them in the event that they cannot. That is just one of the many benefits and responsibilities of being next of kin. Rights regarding inheritance (in absence of a will), medical decision making powers, and funeral arrangement powers are examples of legal authority given to a person's next of kin, to name the most well known.

The fact is that you cannot declare anyone you want as next of kin in the United States. If your best friend is the person you trust to be your next of kin, the law will not allow you to declare your best friend as next of kin. Your next of kin must be someone who is closely related to you or who is your spouse, and there is a set order to who is given next of kin privileges. For someone with bad family relationships but trustworthy friends, the best next of kin is a friend, not a blood relative. But in the United States, the friend will never be next of kin. That is not the best way of doing things.

A person's next of kin may not be the one who makes certain decisions for them though if there is other legal paperwork saying that someone else besides the next of kin will make those decisions. You can designate your best friend to make legal decisions for you, medical and end of life decisions, with legal documentation that expresses your wishes for this to happen. It trumps family kinship recognized by the state. My point has always been that it requires paperwork for the next of kin or the naming of a legal decision maker. And yes, that can be your best friend. There are some things that your best friend would not be entitled to though, under the law, such as suing in the event of a wrongful death or being covered by the FMLA, but the legal stuff they can do. And if really needed, you can adopt adults.
 
A person's next of kin may not be the one who makes certain decisions for them though if there is other legal paperwork saying that someone else besides the next of kin will make those decisions. You can designate your best friend to make legal decisions for you, medical and end of life decisions, with legal documentation that expresses your wishes for this to happen. It trumps family kinship recognized by the state. My point has always been that it requires paperwork for the next of kin or the naming of a legal decision maker. And yes, that can be your best friend. There are some things that your best friend would not be entitled to though, under the law, such as suing in the event of a wrongful death or being covered by the FMLA, but the legal stuff they can do. And if really needed, you can adopt adults.
I find it odd you are bringing up the ability to have a friend make medical decisions for you (a healthcare proxy) when you previously pointed out that a healthcare proxy was not the same as next of kin.

The fact remains that you cannot define anyone you want as next of kin in the United States. Period. I'm not sure why you refuse to acknowledge this, but that is a fact. At this point this discussion is completely pointless, so I won't be replying again.
 
I find it odd you are bringing up the ability to have a friend make medical decisions for you (a healthcare proxy) when you previously pointed out that a healthcare proxy was not the same as next of kin.

The fact remains that you cannot define anyone you want as next of kin in the United States. Period. I'm not sure why you refuse to acknowledge this, but that is a fact. At this point this discussion is completely pointless, so I won't be replying again.

It isn't the same, but everything you have discussed so far, is about medical proxy or other things such at that. It would be quite different if you were discussing, for example, something that spouses get that other next of kin do not, besides perhaps minor children, such as dependent recognition or something like that. Even next of kin are treated differently according to what their relationship is to the person and what the person means, financially/support speaking, to the person.
 
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