October 15, 1997
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DIVORCE REFORM INITIATIVE FILED WITH ATTORNEY
GENERAL
Attorney David B. Prince, chairman of the Children's
Advocate, filed with
the California Attorney General's office today
an initiative calling for the
tightening of divorce standards for families
with minor children. California
led the nation into a revolution of "no fault"
divorce in 1969 and every
state except Arkansas enacted some form of "no
fault" divorce statute over
the next decade.
Attorney Prince called the current state of divorce
law in California a
"travesty upon the family" which has had "devastating
effect on the
institution of marriage and family" in the last
25 years. Prince further
denounced the current divorce system on grounds
that exactly zero petitions
for divorce have been denied, by any court of
record, for want of
"irreconcilable differences" (the legal standard
for a no fault divorce)
since 1970. He stated that no fault was
instituted in California on the
promise that the courts would scrutinize whether
there actually was an
"irretrievable breakdown" of the family; but
the practical experience of no
fault is that was a false hope. "The
time has come for reform of no fault
divorce in California. The social stability
of our society hangs in the
balance. The lives of our children are
at stake", said Prince
The Silicon Valley Psychological Group, an endorser
to the initiative
stated: "The empirical evidence is in; rapid
and convenient divorce leads to
premature and typically irreversible break-up
of marriages and families.
Children caught in this system become unwilling
pawns in protracted custody
and support battles".
Attorney Hugh O. Allen, Family law specialist
and Children's Advocate
committee member confirmed that "no fault divorce
has led to the right to
unilateral marital demolition by divorce on demand.
People don't realize
that the divorce industry has grown in the last
25 years to be as large as
the automobile industry".
A national movement is developing that supports
divorce reform laws and
which has broad based political support.
Children's Advocate, a committee of
prominent Californians is being formed to bring
the initiative to the
electorate in November of 1998. The proposed
Family Reconciliation Initiative
has the endorsement of many professionals from
legal, legislative, pastoral,
psychological and the social sciences.
Parties interested in more
information may contact the committee (below)
for more information.
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