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Mr. Nanny
by Steven Mahone
| Newly-elected State Representative David Schultheis has introduced legislation that is a good example of how the idea of "old fashioned" family values can be abused in the hands of an ultra-conservative lawmaker. His HB-1342 mandates that married couples in Colorado who have children must go through a one-year period of counseling before a divorce is granted. Whatever happened to the Republican mantra of "less government" -- is it being abandoned here? |
This idea even has the support of radio-counselor and moralistic-nanny Dr. Laura Schlessinger. RED FLAG! |
The logic used by Mr. Schultheis to devise HB-1342 can't be the same logic that compelled him to reassure the Gun Owners of America that he would never support a three-day waiting period for gun purchases. If he is concerned enough about keeping families together to impose a one-year waiting period before a divorce is granted, how, then, could it be less altruistic to want an impulsive mom or dad to wait a few days before bringing a weapon into the house? |
I also wonder if the long term consequences of Mr. Schultheis' proposal have been thoroughly considered. What if more couples just started "living in sin" in lieu of an official marriage contract so that they could circumvent the possibility of being subject to this new law? I'm sure that wouldn't please the conservative sensibilities that Mr. Schultheis supposedly represents. |
What reputable study does Mr. Schultheis cite to confirm his assertion that a year of forced counseling will significantly reduce the divorce rate? Without such a study in place, how can we be confident that an involuntary program like this won't, in fact, aggravate the situation? Then, when you consider that there is no provision in the law to pay for this forced therapy, isn't this proposal simply a guise to impose a "divorce tax" in the form of required sessions with a counselor? And just what credentials will constitute a qualified counselor as recognized by the courts? Are Baptist ministers, Wiccan priestesses, Muslim clerics, and Ph.D. psychoanalysts all equally acceptable? |
Does Schultheis really think that the legislature is in a better position than the parents to dictate what is best for a young child caught in the middle of a bad marriage? As painful as the breakup of mom and dad may be for an adolescent, isn't it likely to be even more distressing for children to endure the endless arguments and possible violence that may occur if parents are forced to stay together for an "extra" year? |
There is little doubt that the Christian sensitivities of Mr. Schultheis are at play here. Divorce is a very serious affront to his religious philosophy and he certainly has every right to let it influence the course of events that unfold in his own marriage. But don't denigrate the rest of us by changing our laws without a solid foundational reason to do so! |
If Mr. Schultheis were REALLY being straightforward, his bill would require that all divorce petitions be preempted with a one-year conversion to Hinduism or Atheism. Both of these groups have a much lower divorce rate than the national average - and that includes born-again evangelicals. I am quite doubtful that Dr. Laura would jump on the bandwagon to support THAT bill! |
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