美国的离婚问题AmeriasDivorceProblem.docxVIP

Americas Divorce Problem On August 15, 1997, Louisiana made an historic change in its domestic relations laws by enacting the nations first covenant marriage bill. Following Louisianas lead, Arizona enacted similar legislation in May 1998 and other covenant marriage (CM) bills are now under consideration in at least twenty additional states. It thus appears that we are on the front end of a covenant marriage boom that could soon sweep across the nation. Here we consider just what covenant marriage is and why it is a concept whose time appears to have come. We also take up and respond to the most common objections or reservations that people have expressed about it. What is Covenant Marriage? Couples wishing to marry in Louisiana are now required to choose between two marriage regimes: the standard marriage with virtually unrestricted access to no-fault divorce or a covenant marriage designed to be somewhat harder both to enter and to exit. The covenant option specifically acknowledges that marriage is a lifelong commitment and differs from conventional Marriage in a number of additional ways: Covenant marriage requires premarital counseling. Counseling must include discussions of the seriousness of marriage, the lifelong commitment being made by the couple to their marriage, the obligation to seek marital counseling if problems arise later in the marriage, and the exclusive grounds for divorce or legal separation in a covenant marriage. Couples must sign an affidavit acknowledging their commitment and prove that they have received counseling on these issues. Likewise, divorce from a covenant marriage requires the couple to have sought marriage counseling and to have made a good-faith effort to resolve their differences. Although a no-fault divorce is still possible for covenant marriages, the new law requires that the couple live separate and apart for two years (vs. six months under the current marriage regime) or be legally separated for eighteen months. Dissolvin