| Experiencing life after divorce |
Covenant Marriage
Is divorce too easy to obtain? So say the proponents of covenant marriage. Covenant marriage is an optional more restrictive form of marriage. It may require premarital counseling and usually limits the reasons for divorce to abuse, felony, adultery, abandonment, or long periods of separation. This option is only legal in three states in the U.S. namely Arizona, Arkansas, and Louisiana despite being proposed in many other states. It seems to me this is a way to counter no fault divorce and returns couples to the position of proving abuse or adultery. This can be difficult to prove, cause more hostility and be very intrusive. If a couple feel they need a greater commitment, then I think this is better accomplished throughout the marriage such a renewal of vows, lay or religious marriage counseling or marital retreats. It seems that this option hasn’t interested many couples with only about 1-2% of couples getting married signing up for a covenant marriage. It is also possible to bypass this restriction by filing for a divorce in another state that does not have covenant marriage. What do you think? Should couples be able to restrict the conditions under which they can file for divorce? Will this truly result in a more committed marriage? For more information, see a pamphlet issued by the state of Arizona (in PDF format) explaining covenant divorce in that state. |