LAWTON Okla_ Oklahoma lawmakers want
to make it harder to get divorced, and they've filed a handful of bills this
session to do it.
One of those
bills would give Oklahomans the option to choose covenant marriage. Republican
Senator Josh Breechen wants couples to undergo counseling before they marry,
and then again, should they ever decide to divorce.
The other side
to this bill is giving couples fewer reasons to divorce. In a traditional
marriage, divorces are granted for 12 reasons. With a covenant marriage, there
are only 5.
Senator Brecheen
said too many couples are breaking their vows.
"'Till
death do us part' is pretty significant," Brecheen said. "Unfortunately in
our society, it's become ‘Until difficulties do us part.'"
Pastor Doug
Passmore of First Baptist East in Lawton
agrees.
"A lot of
times, we just take the easy way out," Passmore said. "We say, ‘Hey, it's not
worth messing with.'"
Covenant
marriage won't allow an easy way out. In fact, you wouldn't be granted a
divorce for things like incompatibility or your everyday financial woes. It would
have to be adultery, abuse, abandonment, fraudulent marriage, or separation for
a year. You'd then have to prove you went to counseling with no amend.
Oklahoma has the
highest divorce rate in the nation. In fact, one out of every three married people
has been divorced at one time or another.
Therapist Amanda
Hale said people aren't putting enough effort in before they get married.
"They
don't think sometimes," Hale said. "They get into the habit of, ‘Oh, he's cute'
or ‘Oh, she's pretty', and they jump right into marriage without thinking of
long term goals."
Brecheen said
that "lack of thinking" is tearing Oklahoma families apart, and it's hurting us
economically.
"It's also
indicative of poverty," Brecheen said. "The statistics of that are egregious
and with causation pointed to divorce many times."
While
"covenant" does have a religious connotation, Passmore and Hale agree
it's beneficial for all.
"It's not
saying that you can't get a divorce," Passmore said. "It just makes it a little harder
to get a divorce. Therefore, you have to work at it harder."
"I'll
support anything to make marriage stronger, regardless of religious preference,
sexual orientation or anything," Hale said.
If this bill
passes, covenant marriage will be an option, not a requirement.
Make sure to tune
in Thursday night on 7News at 6, where 7News Reporter Sara Whaley talks to a
couple about how they've made it work for the past 72 years. You'll want to
hear why they say they are as happy now as the day they got married.
Lawmakers in
the House are also promoting strong marriages. Representative Mark McCullough
said the more marriage fails, the more the government has to get involved. He's
proposed a bill that would not allow couples to divorce on grounds of
incompatibility if there are minors at home, if the couple has been married
more than 10 years, or if either party objects.
