Pregnant women in Missouri can't get divorced. Critics say it fuels domestic violence

ZeroCool@vger.social to politics @lemmy.world – 277 points –
npr.org
24

I heard once that after no-fault divorces started becoming wide-spread, murders of husbands by their wives decreased, since women now had a way to get out of a marriage.

I wonder if that trend will reverse.

I often used to scratch my head at hearing creaky old cons complaining about no-fault divorce. I thought those crusty old sort had mostly left this plane, but it seems some of the young cons are now making that a thing again.

They really, really, really just want to control the wimminfolk. Things like contraception, access to financial services, being able to drive, and yes, abortion ("on demand", as if anything else makes any sense - what the hell else would any health service be, FFS - I've always laughed at people adding "on demand" to the conversation as if it's a BAD thing. ) drives a certain type of person (men AND women, by the way) up the wall...

Ah, so a good old virile rape and she's yours for another year.

Makes sense. /s

What the fuck??

What the fuck?

Established in the 1970s, the rule was intended to make sure men were financially accountable for the children they fathered.

Some how I don’t think they thought that through. Idiots.

Well either they were stupid, or they knew exactly what they were doing.

I used to think that you should never attribute to malice what's easily explained by stupidity. And as I've grown up, I find a lot of malicious assholes hide behind stupidity.

Left to myself, I’m just gonna assume both. Malice and stupidity go hand in hand way too often

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What were they doing? I'm trying to figure out why you think this was stupid or malicious in the 70s

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There was no genetic testing for paternity back then. If you weren't married you could contest paternity.

‘Cuz nobody back then ever cheated…

Further the reality of parentage doesn’t change with a divorce. This is arbitrary bullshit.

People cheated for sure, but if you were married you were simply on the hook for the offspring even if it wasn't yours.

I'm not saying the law is good, I'm saying it made sense for the time it was passed in. Now that we have genetic testing to confirm paternity or should be repealed.

Or they could have just created the law that said “the child was conceived under wedlock, the husband is on the hook.”

But details. There’s no reason to use birth, as the critical time. Because if they knew she was pregnant to hold the divorce…. Then they could just make the guy cough up support. (Including while pregnant.)

Or they could have just created the law that said “the child was conceived under wedlock, the husband is on the hook.”

To make someone the father they have to inform them of it. There's nothing stopping the father from flying the coop once divorced. While the proceedings are in progress, the judge has the right to keep the father to be present. And this was more of a concern when you could disappear and start a new life by moving across town.

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I live in Canada. I never cease to be flabbergasted by laws in the US. It's like living next to a time warp.

A LOT of this country never left the 19th century, and they don't care to. They feel safe in the old ways, they're scared of change.

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If they have an initiative process they really need to change the state name to Misery. They make me feel better about my state and I'm in Texas.

Call me crazy but the words free and can't are incompatible. Free to get a job and pay taxes is about all you're truly free to do. I ❤️ capitalism.🏴🏴🏴

I mean, physical abuse can threaten the life of the child. Wtf

If someone gets a divorce without knowing they were pregnant, then finds out, is the divorce reversed or does the women just get sent to jail. Maybe both.