Social Policy

Covenant Marriage Laws Fail To Catch On

Only two states, Louisiana and Arizona, have adopted covenant marriage laws intended to strengthen marriage ties and dampen divorce rates. The laws mandate premarital counseling and require a two-year separation prior to divorce, unless adultery, abuse or abandonment is the issue.

  • Sixteen of 17 states that considered covenant laws this year turned them down.

  • Observers report states are experimenting with less dramatic antidotes to divorce -- ranging from premarital education to pre-divorce counseling.

  • Even in Louisiana, only 120 couples -- or 1 percent of those getting married -- chose covenant marriages in the first five months the law was in effect.

  • Arizona's law is a watered-down version of Louisiana's -- saying that if both spouses want to end their covenant marriage, they can do so without finding fault or waiting two years.

Despite the laws' apparent lack of popularity, supporters continue to predict they will catch on in time.

Source: Richard Wolf, "States Slow to Plunge into Covenant Marriage," USA Today, June 16, 1998.


Home |  Support Us |  All Issues |  Social Security |  NCPA |  Contact Us

Dallas Headquarters: 12770 Coit Rd., Suite 800 - Dallas, TX 75251-1339 - 972/386-6272 - Fax 972/386-0924
Washington Office: 601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Suite 900 South Building - Washington, DC 20004 - 202/220-3082 - Fax 202/220-3096
© 2001 NCPA