Family Law

Ending Disposable Marriage

By Ben Stevens

The recently retired Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, Leah Ward Sears, wrote a compelling article for CNN.com in which she called for the end of "disposable marriage."  Her brother committed suicide, and she suspected that his bitter divorce at least partially contributed to it.  Some of key quotes from her commentary are listed below, but I highly recommend that everyone read the whole article:

• "As a judge I have long held a front row seat to the wreckage left behind by our culture of disposable marriage and casual divorce ...."
• "But no-fault divorce's broad acceptance as an unquestioned social good helped usher in an era that fundamentally altered the seriousness with which marriage is viewed. It effectively ended marriage as a legal contract since either party can terminate it, with or without cause. This leaves many people struggling to remake their lives after painful divorces that they do not want. It also left many parents cut off from, or sidelined in, the lives of the children they love."
• "Of course, there are occasions when divorce is necessary. And not everyone should marry. But it has become too easy for people to walk away from their families and commitments without a real regard for the gravity of their decision and the consequences for other people, particularly children."

Source:  "Commentary: Let's End Disposable Marriage" by Leah Ward Sears, published at CNN.com.

Full post as published by SC Family Law Blog on July 13, 2009 (boomark / email).