Posted on 03/05/2013 11:19:41 AM PST by Responsibility2nd
Seven Republicans in the Iowa House are pushing a bill to prohibit parents of minor children from getting a “no fault” divorce and the proposal could be debated in a House committee this week.
A three-member subcommittee debated the bill today. Representative Tedd Gassman, a Republican from Scarville, said he’s concerned about the negative impact divorce has on children.
“In my opinion, it’s time to look out for the children instead of constantly worrying about the adults,” Gassman said.
Daren Clark of Forest City — one of Gassman’s constituents — spoke about his recent divorce and the ongoing conflict with his ex-wife over custody of their two young children.
“The no-fault divorce law which was introduced in California in 1969 created the attitude of ‘do what’s best for me’ which has damaged thousands of families and their children. There needs to be reform of some kind in the no-fault divorce law. I’m going what I’ve told my kids to do: talk to those who can help,” Clark said, his voice breaking with emotion as he spoke to legislators and pleaded: “Ease the pain for thousands of kids and their families.”
Under the proposed legislation, parents with kids under the age of 18 could not get a no-fault divorce. Instead, they’d have to show a spouse was guilty of adultery, had been sent to prison on a felony conviction, had physically or sexually abused someone in the family, or had abandoned the family for at least a year.
“This basically is an attempt on my part to keep fathers in the home,” Gassman said. “I sincerely believe that the family is the foundation of this nation and this nation will go the direction of our families. If our families break up, so will this nation.”
Parents who have lived separately for at least two years could use that as a “fault” for a divorce, however.
Rachel Scott of the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence told lawmakers the changes proposed often make homes a more dangerous place.
“One of the things that we’ve seen with places where there is fault divorce is it escalates tension and conflict between the two individuals,” Scott said.
Representative Marti Anderson, a Democrat from Des Moines who opposes the bill, said the tension in her childhood home lasted eight years, until her parents divorced back when fault had to be proven.
“The stay-together time was very, very damaging to my family,” said Anderson — the oldest of four children, “and although we’re all adults now, I’m not sure any of us have ever really gotten past that.”
Karl Schilling of the Iowa Organization for Victim Assistance said no-fault divorce was a carefully crafted solution to deal with those kind of problems.
“I think if you really want to lessen the divorce rate, there’s better things the legislature can do, such as work against poverty, increase jobs,” Schilling said.
Representative Gassman said the issue is “near and dear” to his heart because his daughter and son-in-law recently divorced, putting his granddaughter at risk.
“There’s a 16-year-old girl in this whole mix now. Guess what? What are the possibilities of her being more promiscuous?” Gassman said. “What are the possibilities of all these other things surrounding her life that a 16-year-old girl, with hormones raging, can get herself into?”
Gassman and another Republican lawmaker gave the bill initial approval today. The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee says there needs to be a discussion about the full range of problems in society, including divorce, and he may bring the bill up for debate in his committee. In 1970 Iowa became the second state in the nation to adopt a “no-fault” divorce law.
All 50 states now have “no-fault” laws allowing couples to divorce without citing evidence of wrong-doing from either spouse.
Then what's the sense...this is what they will do.
“I think if you really want to lessen the divorce rate, there’s better things the legislature can do, such as work against poverty, increase jobs,” Schilling said.
Idiot. How many thousands of studies - since No Fault was enacted - do you need to see before you know that NFD INCREASES poverty for parents and for their children?
No they won’t... It’s not “they”, the one who moves out is at fault and as the at fault party won’t get their share of the loot. Since it is almost always the woman who initiates the no-fault, often with the expectation of getting the loot, I think this would have a dramatic effect on the divorce rate.
This is a Church issue. The last thing we need are government bureaucrats telling folks who they have to spend the rest of their lives with.
Shhesh
The sense comes into play as these lawmakers realize that anything and everything they can do to slow down the breakup of the family (And America) is all good.
Sounds like governmental micromanagement of people’s lives.
Get government out of the marriage business.
bitter, eh?
You should educate yourself on the fundamentals before spouting off with a stupid remark like that.
Marriage is the backbone to any great society. There must be laws to promote marriages between a man and a woman. And laws which punish those who seek to destroy marriage and society.
Unfortunately liberals have found power in destroying the family, replacing the father with a welfare check, and enslaving blacks and minorities with welfare benefits as they enhance divorce laws and even promote queer marriages.
This is way much more than a Church issue.
it involves tax money and property and health care etc....its a govt issue to be sure, and it would be best for the govt....that would be we the taxpayers.....for families to stay intact....but I don’t know how a govt can force that on anyone....
The first no-fault divorce law in the U.S. was signed by that noted Communist, Governor Ronald Reagan.
Not just the financial settlement and property division. Not just custody. Both parents would have to agree<> to the divorce itself.
That's "no-fault".
Who was also divorced.
Everyone makes mistakes.
IIRC he also was on one time leader of the AFLCIO!
Even the Great Ronaldo made a few major errors. Amnestry for illegal immigrants springs to mind for one.
He was a great and a good man, but he was a man like any other and prone to error.
Government screws up much/almost all of what it controls.
Get government out of the marriage business.
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No, It’s LIBERALS that screw up..... We need to get LIBERALS out of the marriage business.
Conservatives know that marriage is a fundamental building block to the success of a nation.
Liberals know that tearing down marriage only serves the State.
the family is the foundation of not only this nation but all of civilization. Legislation will not fix our families...only the reinstitution of Judeo-Christian values can bring back the nuclear family which has been purposefully and systematically attacked and brought close to destruction.
If our nation will turn back to God the health of America’s families will be restored. It is the only way.
Then why did the couple go down to the court house to file for a marriage license in the first place?
If the government is going to give benefits to certain people who engage in a certain behavior, they should have a say in the termination of that behavior.
Nobody forced the couple to apply for a marriage license.
Nobody forced them to file as a married couple on their taxes.
Nobody forced one spouse to accept benefits earned by the other spouse.
These were things that the government offered to them in exchange for being married because the government has an interest in parents raising children together.
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