A Republican bill in the Alabama Senate would create a new twist to marriage in the state, one that would require pre-marital counseling and make it more difficult for a couple to divorce.
Sen. Phil Williams, R-Rainbow City, said his bill to create a covenant marriage is designed to decrease Alabama's high divorce rate.
... Williams' bill is modeled after Louisiana's covenant marriage law, which went into effect in 1997
... Williams, who blames no-fault divorces for making it easy for couples to split up, said covenant marriages are a choice for couples.
"It is hard to figure overreaching when all you are doing is providing an option," Williams said.
... The bill states for a couple to enter into a covenant marriage they must provide an affidavit stating they've received premarital counseling from a religious leader or a marriage counselor. That counseling must include a discussion of the obligation to seek more counseling in times of marital difficulties and a discussion of the exclusive grounds for terminating a covenant marriage.
A spouse could ask a judge to grant a divorce without first seeking counseling if there is proof the other spouse had committed adultery, abused the filing spouse or their children, committed a felony or had left the family home for more than a year and refused to return.
Otherwise, counseling is a mandatory step in the process.
6 Comments
This sounds like a great idea. My wife and I had premarital counseling and we still use the techniques for handling conflict that we were taught. I suppose that the government would have to spring for the cost of counseling for the heathens, but it's probably a good investment in keeping marriages together and preventing children from being estranged from their parents.
How did I know that there would be push-back against this bill? Because I know that all of talk about how we should "focus on divorce" is a ruse. If there were any serious movement to eliminate frivolous divorce, you can bet that certain groups, such as feminists (see: "the Coalition Against Domestic Violence"), would scream.
Covenant marriage is a nice start, but divorce should to be harder to get for everyone. That should be the idea behind marriage--that you stay married for life, unless severe circumstances say otherwise. I don't think there should be a system where some couples opt into covenant marriage, and others do not. If you don't want to be married to a person for life, don't get married. Choose wisely.
good news!
For sure "no-fault" divorce should be axed, and individuals should have the right to sue for alienation of affection. That would quash a lot of extramarital junk.
*cheers*
Going off on a limb here but perhaps the high divorce rate has to do with poor education, high unemployment rate, and a culture that forces young couples into getting married before they are ready?