Information Alert: Seek solutions to divorce

Victoria Cobb, President
Thursday, July 12, 2007

The Family Foundation's Marriage Commission met today for the first time in its effort to seek public policy proposals for strengthening marriage laws and encouraging stronger marriages in Virginia.

The numbers are actually staggering. In 1960, 85 percent of marriages lasted until the death of one partner. Today, nearly 50 percent of marriages end in divorce. In addition, the number of children being raised in homes without both biological parents has skyrocketed. Many of the pathologies that plague our nation today can be traced to fatherlessness and broken homes.

When debating in favor of the marriage amendment last year, the one argument that opponents used that was actually accurate said, considering the high rate of divorce, heterosexuals haven't done a very good job with marriage anyway.

The Family Foundation supported several policy proposals regarding no-fault divorce laws during the 2007 General Assembly session. While legislators recognized the problems surrounding a high divorce rate they were unsure of how public policy can be changed to address the problem. None of the proposals submitted were passed. Even legislation proposed to simply study the issue failed.

The Family Foundation's Marriage Commission will meet several times between now and the 2008 General Assembly session. It includes academic experts, such as professors from UVA, Washington & Lee, Regent University and the University of Notre Dame; national policy experts from groups like Institution for American Values, Americans for Divorce Reform and Marriage Savers; divorce attorneys; marriage counselors and pastors; and a representative from the Lt. Gov's office and the Attorney General's office.

Everyone recognizes that a 50 percent divorce rate is a problem, but few people seem willing to seek real solutions. Obviously, this is a very complicated and emotional issue. The causes of divorce are not simply a matter of the law. Public policy solutions are just one part, but it is one that simply is not being addressed. This commission is tasked with seeking potential policy proposals.

As we said at the beginning of the 2007 General Assembly session, we do not claim to have all the answers to the problem of divorce. We only know that everyone agrees there is a problem and no one is attempting to solve it. As a simple matter of leadership, TFF steps out to be part of the solution.

A list of commission members follows:

MARRIAGE COMMISSION MEMBERS

Margaret Brinig
Professor, Fritz Duda Family Chair in Law, Researcher, and Author
University of Notre Dame

Matt Cobb
Assistant Attorney General
Virginia Attorney General's Office

John Crouch
Executive Director of Americans for Divorce Reform
Divorce Attorney

Maggie Gallagher
President of the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy and co-author of The Case for Marriage
New York, New York

Jeremy Greenfield
Deputy Chief of Staff
Lieutenant Governor's Office

Dr. Jack Knapp
Director of Virginia Assembly of Independent Baptists
Richmond, Virginia

Lynn Marie Kohm
John Brown McCarty Professor of Family Law
Regent University

Charlotte Markva
Commonwealth Christian Counseling
Richmond, Virginia

Mike McManus
Co-Founder of Marriage Savers

Steven L. Nock
Professor of Sociology and Director of the Marriage Matters Project
University of Virginia

Robert Partington
Peace in the Home, Inc.
Richmond, Virginia

Andy Redford
Executive Director, Christian Counseling and Training Center, Inc.
Richmond, Virginia

Bob Ruthazer
First Things Richmond
Richmond, Virginia

Brad Wilcox
Assistant Professor of Sociology
University of Virginia

Robin Fretwell Wilson
Associate Professor of Law
Washington & Lee School of Law

Family Foundation Staff

Victoria Cobb
President

Chris Freund
Vice President, Policy and Communications