Prince of Peace at 4300 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48323 US - DIVORCE
| DIVORCE |
"I'm leaving. I've spoken to a lawyer. You'll be hearing from him." "Can't we talk about this?" "There's nothing to talk about." "But I don't want a divorce!" "You don't have a choice. It's over." Before the first no-fault divorce law was adopted in California in 1969, both spouses had to agree to a divorce. Today virtually every state has followed California in adopting the no-fault law. It allows one partner to declare in court that the marriage is irreconcilable. The other partner's opinion is irrelevant. The judge simple forces the divorce on the unwilling partner. In the 35 years since the California action, writes Michael Mc Manus, there have been 38 million divorces in the U.S. They have exacted a heavy price, especially on the children' of these marriages. A child of divorce is three times more likely than a child from an intact home to be expelled from school, six times as likely to live in poverty, twelve times more apt to be incarcerated, and 14 times more likely to be physically abused, according to the heritage foundation. (America 2/9/04) In 1997, Louisiana attempted a modest reform of no-fault divorce. Couples are given a choice to enter either a standard marriage or a "Covenant Marriage." In the latter, the couples declare that they commit themselves to take all reasonable efforts to preserve their marriage, including marital counseling. In effect, the law permits them to waive their rights to a no-fault divorce. Divorce is possible, but only after counseling, and for such serious faults as adultery, abandonment, physical or sexual abuse, habitual intemperance, or living apart for two years. Similar laws have passed in Arizona and Arkansas.