Is Getting a Divorce Too Easy?
February 14, 2010 by nancy_barto
According to 2008 TIME/CNN polling data, the public agrees by a nearly a 2-1 margin that it should be “harder than it is now for married couples with young children to get a divorce,” (61% to 35%).
Obtaining a divorce in Arizona is one of the most consequential decisions that a married couple can make, but Arizona law allows for a couple to obtain one only 60 days after filing.
HB 2650 addresses this issue by lengthening it from two to six months. Why? Delaying divorce may save marriages.
There is a strong correlation between the length of waiting periods and the rate of divorce.
Illinois and Maryland, for example, require a 2 year waiting period (6 months and 1 year if mutual consent) and their rates of divorce are nearly half that of Arizona’s. The opposite holds true, as well. Alabama, Florida and Oklahoma, requiring only 30 days, 20 days and 0 days respectively, have nearly twice the rate of divorce than Arizona.
Arizona has a high interest in helping marriages thrive for several reasons.
Divorce costs. Not only does divorce have negative emotional and social effects for adults and children, divorce is detrimental to society and taxpayers. Research indicates that there are about 24,000 divorces in Arizona every year at a public cost of $650 million annually. And $112 billion a year nationally.
These costs derive from an estimated $26,000 per divorce in taxpayer-funded social services, law enforcement and educational programs – specifically welfare, food stamps, housing assistance, Medicaid, SCHIP, child welfare programs, low income home energy assistance, Head Start, school lunch and breakfast programs and part of the Justice System.
And this doesn’t include the cost of attorneys for both parties.
It’s not “big government” to implement a longer “cooling off” period for divorce proceedings in order to strengthen marriage and potentially save the state, adults and especially, children, the high cost of breaking up – especially since 80% of divorce cases have one spouse who does not want the divorce!
Click here to see how delaying divorce saved this couple’s marriage.
Children of divorce pay a price. A child of divorce is 3 times as apt to be expelled from school or to get pregnant as a teenager compared to kids from intact homes, 5 times as likely to live in poverty and 12 times as apt to be incarcerated.
Read more about last week’s contentious House hearing on the bill and other information on the Center for Arizona Policy blog.
I am in a process where I have asked the court to allow marriage counseling and I filed to withdraw dissolution. And the court denied me not only that but censored the word covenant. They told me I could not say the word covenant. That is against my First amendment rights. I have been married for 29 years and we should have had marriage enhancement like I asked. The courts would not allow us MERCY to talk through in marriage enhancement. It should be required to protect women and children and the Family. Also deceit was used to appoint a real estate commissioner which also increase fees, and the lying and deceit involved. In a depressed market refinance or renting home may have been a better solution. Attorneys can be corrupt and the courts can be corrupt.
I agree with you Nancy. Divorce is way to easy and convenient in Arizona. The court conciliation process is a joke. If either party says no, they kick you out of conciliation. I think it would help keep families together if the time was longer.
Please push HB 2650 through as quick as possible. I have 4 young children involved. My spouse and I have never had marriage counseling and she left on January 4th, 2010. As soon as she found out about this bill she has been pressuring me to file.
My children are looking to me to do something. My 5 year old has ADHD and is already having a terrible time. Our children are ages 13, 10, 5 and 2. Please help! I am for this bill to get passed ASAP!
My wife seems to just be wanting to sew her wild oats. We’ve had communication issues and we needed counseling not divorce. The children deserve at least that chance. Please for the love of God help us!
Lee K.