Late last week, a Utah legislative committee narrowly approved a bill that would require couples planning to divorce in the state to enroll in a mandatory divorce orientation course.
The bill's sponsor said the legislation is necessary because of the economic impact of divorce on the state. She hopes that if couples understand those consequences they may not get divorced. According to a 2003 study by Utah State University, there were 9,517 divorces in Utah, which cost the state and federal government about $197 million in child support, food stamps, Medicaid and Medicare.
Well, there's no doubt that these kinds of expenses are incurred by a state - but I am not really sure that a couple are going to consider the impact of their divorce on other taxpayers. They are more likely to be concerned with their own hurt feelings, or whatever trauma has occurred that compels them to split from one another.
Divorce orientation is fairly standard in all states, but one has to be concerned if the legislative intent behind these courses assumes moral reasons. A good divorce orientation course is one that teaches spouses how to treat each other amicably after the divorce, particularly when it comes to issues involving their children. But if the purpose of the course is to encourage the couple not to divorce at all, that ignores the fact that some marriages should not survive - for example, relationships in which a spouse abuses another or the children.
I don't know if there is such a hidden purpose behind the Utah legislation, but it does seem to rely on at least making the divorcing couple feel guilty about the tax burden their divorce would cause.
Generally speaking, I think our politicians should avoid moralizing on the reasons why couples shouldn't divorce and accept the fact that some marriages should (and sometimes must) end.
If they are concerned about how tax dollars are spent as a result of divorce, then perhaps they should invest more money in social programs that are already being starved of funds due to an ideological agenda.
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