Divorce death and poverty - 6/06

[Smartmarriages]

- DIVORCED MEN AT GREATER RISK OF DEATH
United Press International
June 01, 2006

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Jun 1, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A study in Denmark
finds the death rate among divorced men in their 40s is twice as high as it
is for other men in the same age group.

Alcohol-related disease and suicide accounted for many of the deaths, and
one-quarter were caused by heart disease, the Copenhagen Post reported.

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen tracked 2,500 men born in 1953.
The study included information about marriage and divorce among their
parents and grandparents.

Rikke Lund, a senior researcher who was in charge of the study, said that
given the findings, Denmark should do more to keep marriages together. Lund
said that in Norway MANDATORY counseling for couples considering divorce has
led to 25 to 30 percent of couples changing their minds.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International

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- NO-FAULT DIVORCE TAKES AWAY WOMEN'S OPTIONS
By MARCIA PAPPAS
Opinion/Front Page
The Buffalo News 
6/3/2006

> There is much need for change to the current (New York) Domestic Relations Law
> before we send the weaker party and the children afloat ON THE SEA OF POVERTY,
> as was the case in California, the first state to introduce no-fault divorce.
. . . . 
> We have looked down on societies in which all a husband has to do is say, "I
> divorce you, I divorce you, I divorce you" to his wife and they are divorced.
> Should anyone be able to do this? Is unilateral no-fault any different?
 - and, note that this is from the New York State president of the National
Organization for Women.

    In response to the article by Anne F. Downey, (Another Voice, May 18)
where she states that "both Concerned Women for America of New York and the
New York chapter of the National Organization for Women are opposing
no-fault divorce," I can assure you that NOW is opposed to no-fault divorce
for very different reasons from Downey's organization.

Arguments in favor of adding a no-fault ground to New York State law conceal
the tragic results of no-fault divorce for women in no-fault states. The
state Bar Association has stated that New York needs no-fault because it is
the only state without unilateral no-fault grounds. This is not a good
enough reason.

The opposition memorandum of the Domestic Violence Task Force of the Bar
Association of the City of New York says: "We find the argument included in
the memorandum of support of the proposed bill - that no-fault should be
adopted because otherwise a spouse who lacks economic resources may be
forced to remain in a marriage that is not working for them - to be entirely
unpersuasive and not representative of our clients' lives."

There are myriad reasons why spouses choose to stay in a marriage or to
divorce. This is true for battered women as well as women who have never
been battered. No-fault divorce takes away their options. It allows the
spouse with no grounds, battered or not, to obtain a divorce over the
objections of the less powerful spouse without negotiating a divorce
settlement.

Eliminating the requirement to reach a settlement will send more cases into
court, thereby increasing court backlog. This failure to negotiate drives
the issues of child custody, child and spousal support and property division
into court, where women continue to face gender bias, a fact that even the
Office of Court Administration acknowledges.

Proponents of the bill argue that there is no need to "air the dirty
laundry" in court. But advocates in the women's movement know the importance
of allowing the judges to hear the facts, behaviors and circumstances that
led to the break-up of the marriage.

There is much need for change to the current Domestic Relations Law before
we send the weaker party and the children afloat on the sea of poverty, as
was the case in California, the first state to introduce no-fault divorce.

New York State presently has a bilateral no-fault ground for divorce. This
encourages settlement between the parties. In fact, 95 percent of divorce
cases are settled. Unilateral no-fault will discourage settlements.

There are a lot of issues that should be considered for divorce reform that
would help make the playing field level for women and make the entire
process fairer. Let's try some of them, see how they work and then and only
then, consider unilateral no-fault divorce.

We have looked down on societies in which all a husband has to do is say, "I
divorce you, I divorce you, I divorce you" to his wife and they are
divorced. Should anyone be able to do this? Is unilateral no-fault any
different?


Marcia Pappas is New York State president of the National Organization for
Women.


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