New Divorce Law Changing Divorce

 Posted on May 11, 2013 in Divorce

While it's a common fact that divorce rates have been on the rise since the 1950s, it's been several decades, according to the Huffington Post, since Americans have done much to curb the consequences of divorce on families. It was for the reason, reports the Huffington Post, that in 2001 interested parties "launched the Coalition for Divorce Reform (CDR), a non-partisan coalition of divorce reform leaders, marriage educators, domestic violence experts, scholars and concerned citizens." The goal of the coalition is to increase awareness about the consequences of divorce, and to put an end to a nearly-four-decade-long silence about frequent divorce.

By and large, the divorce rate has decreased since 2000, according to the Center for Disease Control, when it was 4.0 for every 1,000 people. In 2011, the most recent year for which data is available, that number had dropped to 3.6—yet this was an increase from 2008 and 2009 when the divorce rate per 1,000 people was slightly lower at 3.5. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the 1990s, the percentage of family households "maintained by divorced, separated, or never-married married had risen from about 70 percent in 1950 to 93 percent."

These statistics are why legislators in North Carolina and Georgia, according to the Huffington Post, are working with the CDR and are taking "bold and courageous steps toward reducing unnecessary divorce and promoting healthy marriages." North Carolina introduced the Healthy Marriage Act in March 2013, which reverses a law that mandates couples must live apart before divorcing. This law "encourages reconciliation and alleviates some of the financial burdens some couples face by being required to live apart." This act also changes the one-year waiting period to two, and requires couples that are parents to take courses on the impact of divorce on children, in addition to courses on conflict resolution and improving communication. The new bill does not change the waiting period for victims of domestic violence.

New legislation such as this can impact divorce law and trends around the country. If you or someone you know is considering divorce, don't go through it alone. Contact a dedicated Texas family law attorney today.

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