There is a reason why Americans choose to make the concept of a no-fault divorce part of their culture. While some might argue that no-fault divorces make it too easy to dissolve a marriage, it eliminates the process of assigning blame to one party which often results in long drawn-out proceedings with only bitter feelings tied in.
For Salem residents, a high net-worth divorce can lead to a complex division of property. While the state of Massachusetts is no fault divorce state, it is also an equitable distribution state; meaning that a judge will decide what a fair distribution of property is — not necessarily a 50/50 split.
Interestingly, the people of Great Britain are starting to see the benefits of no-fault divorces, as well. The Brits voted down the idea of a no-fault divorce back in 1996, but, over a decade later, many British residents are starting to rethink their stance on the issue. This likely is because of the petty arguments that have arisen during divorce proceedings, all in an effort to assign blame.
Across the pond, in an effort to illustrate the extremes couples go to in order to put an end to their marriage, one woman complained that her husband requested that she dress up like a Klingon — a character depicted in the television show “Star Trek”. He also requested that she speak to him in the Klingon language. Yet another man argued that his wife purposely served him tuna casserole on a frequent basis because she knew he hated it. These are ridiculous arguments that seemingly just waste time, but when fault must be assigned, these are the resulting spats among former lovers.
There might be some hesitation tied with no-fault divorce because of the alarming divorce rates in the United States where it is used. Information from the United States Census, which was based on data collected in 2009, reported that 1.5 percent of all children in the United States were living with a parent that was just divorced in the previous year.
A spokesperson for Britain’s Ministry of Justice recently told media that the government had no plans of instituting no-fault divorce into law, even though many of the country’s people would like to see it.
Source: Huliq.com, “Divorce on demand law eyed in Britain while US divorce rates rise and fall,” Dave Masko, April 16, 2012
