Can we protect children from divorce without worsening domestic abuse problems?
Yes, but reducing divorce threatens the domestic violence lobby. For this reason, the domestic violence community are some of the most vocal opponents of divorce reform. Their argument is that, if divorce is made any less easy, more women will suffer from abusive relationships they cannot get out of. This is a non-argument because my bill contains the maximum possible exemption for abusive relationships. I bent over backwards to accommodate the domestic violence lobby last year, and will do so again this year, but it is likely they will continue to be unwilling to negotiate. I believe the resistance of the domestic violence coalition to my efforts comes more from self-interest than from a legitimate concern for protecting women from abuse. We can reform divorce without worsening domestic abuse problems. What are the most fundamental choices required for real change? The bottom-line question regarding divorce is this: are we willing to place the interests of our children, the most vulne
