This month marks the fortieth anniversary of a revolutionary change in our country. Although its significance is often overlooked, California’s no-fault divorce law has made a major impact on the society we live in.
On September 4, 1969, Governor Ronald Reagan signed into effect the country’s first law permitting divorces on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. The change was drastic. Prior to the no-fault law, a couple would need to prove fault on one or both of the parties in order to receive a divorce. Many husbands and wives would turn to a private detective to help uncover evidence of adultery, abandonment or abuse -the only three legal reasons for a divorce proceeding.
Many couples who mutually agreed on the need for a divorce would have to fake one of the three reasons in order to get the court to agree to their legal separation. Attorneys and judges were bogged down with false accusations and excruciating arguments between couples. In many cases, divorces were refused, regardless of how unhappy one or both of the partners was.
The change has made a world of difference for spouses suffering in unhappy marriages and for their San Francisco divorce attorneys, who no longer have to gather evidence to help ease the pain of a bad marriage. This is one anniversary that has affected the lives of millions of Americans and should be remembered for the drastic change it brought to our country.
To read more about the effect of this law, view the article in Mars Venus Living. Image Via Ed Yourdon [Flickr]
Tags: anniversaries, divorce law, no fault