After the abortion laws, another target seems to have entered the agenda of right-wing and conservative voices in the USA. As the US “Rolling Stone” magazine reports, more and more male, right-wing bloggers and political commentators have been complaining about modern divorce laws for the past year.
The “no-fault” principle in the USA allows divorces without one of the two parties having to be proven to be at fault for the breakdown of the marriage. Up until the late 1960s, people who wanted to divorce their spouse had to prove explicitly culpable behavior on the part of their partner – such as adultery or violence. Until California became the first US state to allow no-fault divorces in 1969. The other states followed suit later, with New York being the last in 2010. In many states, however, couples can choose whether they want to file for a “no-fault” divorce or not, in others there is only this option . In some cases, however, certain conditions apply; in Mississippi and South Dakota, for example, divorce without the principle of guilt is only possible if both parties want to end the marriage.
Some right-wing and conservative voices claim that current legislation threatens traditional marriage as an institution and makes it too easy for women to separate in order to take advantage of their ex-husbands’ money – these are the views put forward by podcaster Steven Crowder, whose own wife is divorcing him. But it’s not just some right-wing activists and bloggers who seem to want to turn back the clock on divorce laws. JD According to media reports in the past, Vance, Republican Senator from Ohio, has also criticized that in the USA it is too easy to change partners “like underwear”. The Republican Party in Texas has been making it clear in a statement on its website since last year that the current law should be changed, in Louisiana the party now wants to follow suit, according to reports from “Rolling Stone”. In Texas, the Republican party could have an easy time if they actually want to carry out their request: the officers of almost all officially elected offices in Texas are Republicans, as are all judges of the highest court.
Divorce rates rose accordingly in the USA, at least in the short term, after divorce became possible in more and more states through the “no-fault” principle. At the same time, studies have found that in these states, women’s suicide rates have decreased and they are also less likely to be victims of domestic violence or murdered by their husbands. Proponents therefore argue that modern divorce laws primarily protect women from having to remain in marriages in which they may be at risk. Today in the United States, about 70 percent of all annual divorces are filed by women.
Quellen: Rolling Stone, Firstpost, Time
