Should Laws be Enacted that Make Divorce Harder to Obtain?!

Author Deb Caletti says, Most of our parents wanted the best for us, I knew, but

we also wanted the best for them.(Caletti) It is quite true that our parents do want the
best for us in life. The fact is, we also want the best for our parents. One of the worst
things a child can imagine is loosing a parent, or having a broken home. For the lucky
ones, they grow up with happy parents who would never dream of leaving their home,
but unfortunately that is not always the case. For most Americans, divorce is very
expensive, and a carried out process with a lot of emotional toll. It should be easier to
obtain a divorce, because it is an extremely difficult process to go through. !
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Currently, Americans have the right to divorce their spouse whenever they want.

If someone is in an unhappy marriage, they are allowed to legally get separated from
their significant other. Although divorce may seem like a quick trial, it isnt. There are
many aspects that people have to think about when going through a divorce. For
instance, it can take months to get a court ruling on the custody of the couples children.
A divorce can also show the materialistic side of people. In the most convenient way of
saying this, divorce comes down to who wants what. Going through the court process is
an extremely difficult and time acquiring event. Mentally and financially it is a tough time
for families. When describing divorce, Diane Medved said, Heartache, financial, loss
and time detangling bring irreparable setbacks, (Medved).!
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In coherent sense, it should not be harder to obtain a divorce for those couples

out there that are struggling to get along. Having two people together that are constantly
fighting doesnt make sense at all. Neither one of the people in the relationship are

happy, and it just results in a lot of chaos and hatred towards one another. Husna Q
said, !When it works, marriage today is fairer, more intimate, more fulfilling, more
passionate than couples of the past could have imagined. But because it is, a marriage
that isnt these things seems less bearable, (Husna Q). No one wants to be with
someone that puts them down, or hurts them, and in this fact it shouldnt be more
difficult to obtain separation from them. In the family aspect, you cannot build a family
with a weak foundation. Children shouldnt be struggling to choose between parents,
and living through the pain caused by a divided family. !
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In the event that it would be harder to obtain a divorce, it would cause more

feuds between opposing sides of the divorce. Financially, it is a tremendous downfall for
families that are trying to raise kids while going through a divorce. Paying bills for the
countless hours spent in court of a carried out divorce is not an easy task for a person
to accomplish. This task is even more difficult if the person paying the bills is now a
single mother or father due to the conflicts presented. Susan L. Brown once said,
Some will have to strain jobs longer than they would have had they not divorced, or will
try to reenter the labor force late in life, (Brown). This statement is true in many ways,
such that people cannot retire as early as planned if they are still paying off their bills to
their lawyers from their divorce trails. If getting a divorce becomes harder to obtain, that
means that there will be more court hearings, therefore more money spent on lawyers
inside the court room to represent the feuding sides. !
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Another aspect people must consider while dealing with divorce is the mental

state of children going through this unbelievably hard separation. Watching your parents

getting separated is probably one of the hardest things that a kid can deal with while
growing up. What makes the matter worse, is court case after court case. There is no
peace in a carried out divorce that takes months, or even years to finish. Some children
need the closure of a swift and quick separation. One of the toughest things a family
can go through is divorce. No child wants to watch their parents continually fighting, at
home or in court. William J. Doherty spoke about children of divorce when he said, She
saw the overwhelming anger, depression, and grief that plague children when their
parents are splitting up, (Doherty). Children need closure through a short-lived divorce. !
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There are people out there that think we need to lower the divorce rates in

America. Although it is unfortunate that divorce rates are climbing, this doesnt mean
that we should create a system in which it is harder to obtain a divorce. As previously
stated, it does tremendous turmoil to families and children going through the process
and aftermath of divorce. William J. Doherty also said We propose a modest reform
that U.S. state legislature can enact The Second Chances Act, which combines a
minimum, one-year waiting period for divorce with education about the option of
reconciliation, (Doherty). In some cases it may seem logical to have a waiting period to
make sure that a divorce is the right decision, but for others, divorce is the only option
out of an unhappy relationship. It is inhumane to keep two emotionally distressed
people together for the better of the divorce rates in America from falling. Caring about
the rates rather than the people is not an appropriate way of approaching the situation. !
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For the better health, happiness, and prosperity, it should be easier to obtain a

divorce. Sometimes, divorce is the best option for families. Although it may create some

tension, it can prevent further destruction of relations and happiness. The difficulty of
divorce is present whether or not it is easier to obtain one. No matter what there is going
to be stress and heartache, so there is no reason in which it should be harder to obtain
a separation. !
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Doherty, William J., and Leah Ward Sears. "Giving Troubled Marriages a Second
Chance." Washington Post. 21 Oct. 2011: A.25. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 02
Dec. 2014.
q, Husna. "Al and Tipper Gore: Later-Life Divorces No Longer Uncommon." Christian
Science Monitor. 02 Jun. 2010: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.

Brown, Susan L. "A 'Gray Divorce' Boom." Los Angeles Times. 31 Mar. 2013: A.23.
SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.
Medved, Diane. "No, You Can't Have a Good Divorce." USA TODAY. 24 Oct. 2013:
A.9. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.

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