Covenant marriage
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A covenant marriage is a modern concept of marriage considered to be a cultural and political response to no-fault divorce. Couples in a covenant marriage agree to obtain pre-marital counseling before marrying, and accept more limited grounds for divorce. A primary purpose of covenant marriage is to provide both spouses the security and motivation to work hard to make theirs a good marriage, knowing that the other is committed to the same purpose.[citation needed]
Legal covenant marriages are currently available as an option in Arkansas, Arizona, and Louisiana, which became the first state to approve them in 1997. Legislation was introduced but not passed in California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. It is more difficult for couples who have a legal covenant marriage to obtain a divorce; cause for divorce is typically limited to abuse, a felony with jail time, or adultery. To date, the number of couples choosing covenant marriage in the states that have adopted it have ranged between 1 and 3 percent of all marriages.
Opponents of covenant marriages argue that they are too religious in nature, effectively legalizing a religious view of marriage. Some worry that women can become trapped in unhealthy marriages - even in cases of abuse, it can be difficult to prove allegations sufficiently for a judge to grant a divorce. However, it is currently still possible to file for divorce in a state that does not recognize covenant marriages.
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[edit] References
Gary D. Chapman, Covenant Marriage: Building Communication & Intimacy, Broadman & Holman Publishers (September, 2003), ISBN 0-8054-2576-4.
Samuel Pyeatt Menefee, "The Sealed Knot: A Preliminary Bibliography of Covenant Marriage," Regent University Law Review, vol. 12, no. 1 (1999): pp. 145-282.
