Friday
Nov042011
Second Chances for Marriage
Friday, November 4, 2011 at 12:23PM
Second Chances, a proposal to reduce unnecessary divorce, was
presented October 21, 2011 at The Brookings Institution in Washington,
D.C. Model legislation to present to state legislators include
William J. Doherty, a professor of Family Social Service at the University of Minnesota,and Leah Ward Sears, the former chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, authored the report, with suggestions from other individuals involved in the marriage movement.
The authors found that about 40 percent of couples already deeply into the divorce process report that one or both spouses are interested in the possibility of reconciliation, a modest reduction in divorce would benefit more than 400,000 U.S. children each year, and a modest reduction in divorce would produce significant savings for U.S. taxpayers.
There is no waiting period in many states, like Nevada and New Hampshire. In Virginia, Maryland, and D.C., there is a one year waiting period.
David L. Levy stated in the question and answer period that joint custody has been found to be a factor in reducing divorce. Research finds that the states with the greatest amount of physical joint custody had the lowest divorce rate in subsequent years, according to data from the Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics.
"If a parent knows that he or she will have to interact with the child's other parent while the child is growing up, there is less incentive to divorce," said Levy. Mr. Doherty replied that the authors of Second Chances did not want to get involved in joint custody legislation.
Panelist and researcher Theodora Ooms stated that proponents of this model legislation would have to work closely with domestic violence organizations. Levy replied that although domestic violence is important, DV experts have generally opposed joint custody legislation. Nevertheless, joint custody is legal in all 50 states and is a preference or presumption in 38 states and Washington, D.C. Nevertheless, the proposals by Second Changes are positive in that they may help to reduce the divorce rate, one of the long-time goals of the Children's Rights Council.
Although CRC works mainly to help children and parents who are separated, divorced or never-married, CRC recognizes that marriage is the best insulation for children.
- a bill requiring a mandatory one-year waiting period prior to marriage dissolution,
- a bill establishing a Center to develop capacity to prevent unnecessary divorces, and
- a bill on education requirements for divorcing parents.
William J. Doherty, a professor of Family Social Service at the University of Minnesota,and Leah Ward Sears, the former chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, authored the report, with suggestions from other individuals involved in the marriage movement.
The authors found that about 40 percent of couples already deeply into the divorce process report that one or both spouses are interested in the possibility of reconciliation, a modest reduction in divorce would benefit more than 400,000 U.S. children each year, and a modest reduction in divorce would produce significant savings for U.S. taxpayers.
There is no waiting period in many states, like Nevada and New Hampshire. In Virginia, Maryland, and D.C., there is a one year waiting period.
David L. Levy stated in the question and answer period that joint custody has been found to be a factor in reducing divorce. Research finds that the states with the greatest amount of physical joint custody had the lowest divorce rate in subsequent years, according to data from the Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics.
"If a parent knows that he or she will have to interact with the child's other parent while the child is growing up, there is less incentive to divorce," said Levy. Mr. Doherty replied that the authors of Second Chances did not want to get involved in joint custody legislation.
Panelist and researcher Theodora Ooms stated that proponents of this model legislation would have to work closely with domestic violence organizations. Levy replied that although domestic violence is important, DV experts have generally opposed joint custody legislation. Nevertheless, joint custody is legal in all 50 states and is a preference or presumption in 38 states and Washington, D.C. Nevertheless, the proposals by Second Changes are positive in that they may help to reduce the divorce rate, one of the long-time goals of the Children's Rights Council.
Although CRC works mainly to help children and parents who are separated, divorced or never-married, CRC recognizes that marriage is the best insulation for children.
Reader Comments (1)
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