AL Senate Advances Divorce Bill

A so-called "covenant marriage" bill that restricts the ability to divorce in some cases has advanced out of an Alabama state senate committee.

Sen. Phil Williams, R-Rainbow City, said his bill to create a covenant marriage is designed to decrease Alabama's high divorce rate. Alabama is often ranked near the top in the nation when it comes to divorce. "To me, that's a disturbing trend," Williams said. The bill states for a couple to enter into a covenant marriage they must provide an affidavit stating they've received premarital counseling from a religious leader or a marriage counselor. That counseling must include a discussion of the obligation to seek more counseling in times of marital difficulties and a discussion of the exclusive grounds for terminating a covenant marriage. A spouse could ask a judge to grant a divorce without first seeking counseling if there is proof the other spouse had committed adultery, abused the filing spouse or their children, committed a felony or had left the family home for more than a year and refused to return. Otherwise, counseling is a mandatory step in the process.