Divorce law may be beneficial to couples' children: group

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8kM4Wu1xD78/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8kM4Wu1xD78?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> Contrary to popular belief, divorce may be helpful for children of couples in troubled marriages, a feminist group said.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> "We have to be authentic, we have to be honest with the children [about] what the relationship really is now. Minsan, nagkukunwari sila na okay pa, pero the children witness yung conflict between the couple and it’s not healthy for the children as well," Jean Enriquez, the national coordinator of the World March of Women said on ANC's Headstart.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> She cited, there are longitudinal researches that prove that it’s better for children if the parents separate or get divorced instead of pretending to be together.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> However, she also noted that a couple has to go through a thorough process when availing of divorce.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> "I believe like any law, it has to go through a process, so they have to prove that the differences are irreconcilable as the law provides. Ibig sabihin, kailangan din nilang patunayan na hindi na ‘to maaayos," she said.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> The divorce law they wish to be implemented in the country, she said, is one where everyone benefits.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> "A divorce law that first considers also the welfare of the children, the welfare of both spouses that’s not really biased towards one sex. Basically, this is for the good of everyone—hindi lang para sa babae, hindi lang rin para sa lalaki; kundi sa lahat," she said.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> A divorce law can also help reduce the chances of women being kept in abusive marriages, Enriquez said.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> "A divorce law will hugely help especially women who are in an abusive relationship," she said.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> Among the grounds for divorce in the House Bill 2380 filed by women's party-list Gabriela on Wednesday was "irreconcilable differences that have caused the irreparable breakdown of marriage," and she said it should cover abuses in the relationship.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> Enriquez, citing studies, said 1 out 5 Filipino women are being abused in relationships, and keeping them in the relationship where there is abuse like infidelity will only worsen the situation.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> Enriquez also stressed that existing laws on adultery and concubinage are unfair to women, and included in their proposal is to remove these and replace them with divorce altogether.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> She also dispelled belief that marriages won’t last because there is divorce available.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> "I don’t think that we should be worried that the sanctity of marriage will be threatened because it is going to be protected by those who are truly in love and who have really decided to work on the marriage, but we cannot force it on people who are in abusive relationships because it’s also life-threatening," she said.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> <strong>THE CHURCH AND COLD LEGISLATORS?</strong></div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> Meanwhile, she also believes the fifth filing of the bill in the Philippine congress may no longer be as contentious as previous attempts, as the changing times may now allow for a freer debate on whether or not it is time to pass the law.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> "We are hopeful because this has been filed five years ago, and right now, there seems to be a better atmosphere, political atmosphere for it," she said.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> Even Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, she cited, "was hastening the process of annulment in the Church."</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> "That tells us that there’s a change of thinking towards relationships—that it can change. It’s possible that some marriages might be ending," she said.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> However, the largely conservative Catholic Church in the Philippines, which strongly lobbied against the Reproductive Health Law may once again campaign against it.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> "But I would like to invoke the argument that a lot of women are suffering in abusive relationships, and it’s our public interest to protect those who are abused. Therefore, I hope that the Catholic Church would consider that," said Enriquez.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> <span style="font-size: 16px;">She is also hopeful the legislators will promote what their constituents' desire, when as she cited, 60% of the population want the divorce law passed according to the latest Social Weather survey released in 2015.</span></div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> "I think it’s important for them to consider that a lot of people are now pushing for the bill, for the divorce bill because that’s really is life-saving for many women who are abused, of which the Catholic Church is also very concerned about," she said.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> Enriquez also nixed counter-proposals to the divorce bill, wherein annulment will be made cheaper and more accessible.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> "I’m just wondering why that proposal when divorce could make everything easier. As we’ve said, there’s a huge difference between annulment and divorce," she said.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> Enriquez noted that divorce differs from annulment which is currently present in the country, wherein the former nullifies the marriage based on grounds existing since the start of the marriage, while the latter "recognizes that relationships change."</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> "It doesn’t nullify the reality of marriage, and it also tells the children that there really was marriage that happened, except that it changed. Sometimes, the problems are irreparable, and therefore irreconcilable din 'yung differences, and it would be better for children for the relationship to be transformed," she said.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> Ideally, the divorce will also be less expensive and speedier than annulment, according to Enriquez.</div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> <span style="font-size: 16px;">"Right now, for many couples, it would take them P100,000 to be able to process an annulment and it takes years as well. Some of my friends had to go through the painful process for ten years," she said.</span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTrwTvtm-BffPIZeVA07KtVs8Plx-9g3ZbiTK131EaRgh2KybWzqSV80enBJFI_alc7RbImJS_wYMKScItvWfrhB0nKeJcQ3VT7vfC-NL7GzUWyMHdYpA52anL5JqoIXUVe03B1eTsMh6/s1600/Screenshot_54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTrwTvtm-BffPIZeVA07KtVs8Plx-9g3ZbiTK131EaRgh2KybWzqSV80enBJFI_alc7RbImJS_wYMKScItvWfrhB0nKeJcQ3VT7vfC-NL7GzUWyMHdYpA52anL5JqoIXUVe03B1eTsMh6/s320/Screenshot_54.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> <span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/08/16/divorce-law-may-be-beneficial-to-couples-children-group">source:ABSCBN</a></span></div> <div style="font-family: franklin-gothic-urw, Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5; padding: 10px 0px;"> <br /></div> </div>

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