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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 13, 2012 04:50 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Lawrence M. Farnese, Jr. |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Divorce Prohibition |
| In the near future, I plan to reintroduce legislation that will provide for an amendment to the Constitution of Pennsylvania prohibiting the dissolution of marriage except in certain cases. The language will mirror Senate Bill 1078 from last session. This legislation is being reintroduced in response to a revival of the marriage protection constitutional amendment proposed in previous legislative sessions. The Marriage Protection Amendment would embed discrimination into our Commonwealth’s Constitution by taking away the rights of some of our citizens simply based on their sexual orientation. Proponents of the constitutional amendment have argued that preserving the sanctity of marriage by ensuring it is only valid between a man and a woman will protect the family and keep its function from being eroded. However, most agree that divorce causes an inordinate amount of damage to families. Pennsylvania Department of Health marriage statistics show that in 2009 there were more than half as many divorces and annulments as marriages in Pennsylvania. The United States has one of the highest divorce rates in the world. If we really want to ensure the family unit is kept intact and healthy, we will not move to discriminate against certain unions based on a perception of what a family should look like, but rather encourage couples who make a commitment to one another to keep that commitment. In my bill, the divorce prohibition will include the following exceptions: willful and malicious desertion, cruel and barbarous treatment of a spouse, endangerment of the life or health of a spouse, a bigamous marriage or imposition of such indignities as to render a spouse’s condition intolerable and life burdensome. |