The Government’s proposals to radically change divorce law in England and Wales will completely undermine marriage, social policy charity CARE warned today.

Under the current system, one spouse needs to allege adultery or unreasonable behaviour for the divorce to be considered immediately.

But the Government is changing the system, so all a spouse needs to state is that the marriage has broken down irretrievably.

This amounts to ‘no-reason divorce’, where a spouse can unilaterally end the marriage without having to give any reasons.

If one spouse wants out, they will be able to do so in six months and their spouse, who made what they regarded as a serious till death us do part commitment, will have no rights to contest this at all.

CARE’s Family Policy Officer, Jonathan Williams said:

“The Government’s proposals to make divorce easier are incredibly misguided and will undermine marriage.

“If you make it easier to get a divorce, it is inevitable that the divorce rate will go up.

“Today, the Government is putting forward a view of marriage that prioritises individual freedom, rather than encouraging sacrifice and commitment.

“To make marriage a relationship that one can exit unilaterally simply by saying you want out will fundamentally undermine the ability of marriage to bring stability to the lives of adults and children.

“We all agree that divorce is often hardest on children, but we think these changes will in fact lead to an increase in family breakdown, which is already at record high levels in the UK and therefore these changes will harm children, not help them.

“Divorce is not a temporary crisis that exerts most of its harmful effects on parents and children only during the time of the break-up. The reality is that the effects often go on for much longer.

“The Government should be helping couples to stay together, rather than making it easier for them to split up.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

For interview requests or more information please contact James Mildred: james.mildred@care.org.uk // 07717516814

CARE is a well-established mainstream Christian charity providing resources and helping to bring Christian insight and experience to matters of public policy and practical caring initiatives. CARE is represented in the UK Parliaments and Assemblies.

For a fuller explanation as to why the Government’s proposals will undermine marriage see here: https://care.org.uk/news/latest-news/blog-government-divorce-proposals-undermine-marriage

In this piece, Jonathan argues that the proposals will have a detrimental effect on children: https://care.org.uk/news/latest-news/blog-why-government%E2%80%99s-divorce-proposals-are-bad-children

The press release from the Ministry of Justice can be read here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-divorce-law-to-end-the-blame-game