A work around No Fault Divorce!
“Missouri House Bill 2548 is legislation proposed in the Missouri House of Representatives that would create legal provisions for covenant marriage in Missouri — meaning couples would be able to enter into a type of marriage contract with additional requirements and stricter divorce rules compared with a standard marriage.”
Covenant marriage benefits the person who wants to trap the other one. If a marriage is healthy, people stay without the law forcing them. If it is unhealthy, covenant marriage just raises the legal barrier to escape, especially for caregivers, lower income spouses or people experiencing emotional or financial abuse that is hard to prove in court.
What the f—-
It’s that wacko thing Mike Johnson and his wife are in. Louisiana allows it. Basically, “hey, we’re both super religious today, and we think divorce is a sin. So, please let us enter into a marriage that is really hard to get out of except in extreme and limited circumstances after certain steps have been taken. Never mind if one of us isn’t super religious tomorrow..” It allows one person who doesn’t want the divorce to make it really hard to do and take a super long time.
Yeah, this law sure seems like a law for people with weak marriages and weak faith.
It’ll come in handy when one partner is a 40yo+ man and the other is a teenager. It’s how I figure out who to buy produce from at the Farmers Markets. Which one is not married to a child.
Yeah, If you don’t believe in divorce, don’t get a divorce.
LA already makes it a pain in the ass with a year long waiting period if you have kids, 6 months if you don't.
Never mind if one of us thinks girls are yucky or not. We’re married so I’m not gay. Or vice versa.
not proud of it but I’ve been divorced twice in MO. both times, no attorneys. We came to agreements and filed ourselves. MO was a very easy state to get divorced without giving all your money to lawyers. No more.
Only once here but in Nebraska and we had an “amicable divorce.” I think it cost us $250 which I gladly paid.
Did you forget Missouri is a deep red state?
didn’t used to be. was purple when I moved here. Mel Carnahan
We voted for a dead Democrat for governor once over the Republican candidate. That wasn't all that long ago.
It was for senator against Ashcroft, but your point remains.
Right. Mel was Governor at the time. W then made loser Ashcroft the US AG.
Yes, my mistake
To be fair, we voted knowing his wife would fill his seat. We voted for her.
Why would anyone actually want this?
So conservative men can abuse their wives and not have to worry about getting divorced.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, or maybe make an obvious statement, but that isn’t JUST for conservative men.
I doubt others will consider that type of marriage an option.
I’d bet there are awful men on all sides of the political spectrum interested in this sort of arrangement
No doubt, but liberal women aren't raised to be subservient to their husbands and it requires both people to consent to this type of marriage.
I don't know a single person back home that has entered into this type of marriage. Having a 6 month/year long waiting period for divorce already pissed off a few people I know.
I don’t want to assume relationship dynamics based on political ideology. While I agree this is conservative legislation for more commonly conservative couples I don’t like the idea of pretending abusers are only conservative or that something like this would only happen to conservatives or by conservatives.
Sorry everyone I didn’t know it would be offensive or a poor post to insinuate that this wouldn’t only appeal to conservative men.
No one is claiming that abusers are only conservative, so I don't know why you are even making that argument.
It is a fact that this is conservative based legislation proposed by a conservative in this state and actually implemented, and practiced by conservatives, in other states.
It is also a fact that conservatives are on record stating that no fault divorce was a mistake.
It's not that you're incorrect about that point, but raising that point is actively harmful to women. We have to drive home, not that only conservatives are abusers, but that conservative policies and politicians have the goal of perpetuating domestic violence and need to be stopped. Stopping conservatives from legislating would have an inhibiting effect on the very common and publicly outspoken conservative perpetrators of domestic violence as well as the not conservative perpetrators who benefit from these same policies.
In a sane world, an abuser would not be able to keep a partner in their house for more than a night, but because our entire system traps victims with their abusers we have to put most of our effort into the systemic problem of domestic violence and the party with the monopoly on pro domestic violence legislation, the Republicans.
There are quite a few "traditional" liberal women in the local liberal moms group. Not a ton but they do exist. I could see a few willingly enter into this type of marriage depending on how this was presented to them.
They should move to my home state and get the same marriage that Mike Johnson has, if they are really serious about it.
The cool thing about no fault divorce is that you don't have to get divorced if you don't want to, no need to get the government further involved in your marriage.
Conservative woman here, I think this is fine and already treat my marriage like this lol
Thanks for proving my point 🤣
Exactly, overly controlling husbands isnt tied to a political ideology.
Who said they were? Y'all are arguing about something that no one has claimed.
The parent comment which I replied to and got downvoted to hell for…
Quite me saying that only conservative men are abusive. I'll wait, while you continue to put your failure to understand context on full display for the rest of us.
Right. How smart you are. Thank you HighlightFamiliar250 for turning my entire life around by pointing out an inability to understand context whilst completely ignoring my point.
Lol there are plenty of comments in this thread saying this is for the benefit of conservative men. Misogyny is present across political spectrums, similar to racism.
But I agree conservative politicians will be championing this type of legislation and are less worried about being openly misogynistic.
Not a single comment is saying only conservative men are abusive, like what you and that other person are trying to make into an argument. You are taking people's comments out of context and pretending they are saying something that they aren't.
This entire thread is about a conservative man proposing conservative legislation to restrict why people are allowed to get divorced.
The notion of "no fault" divorce is a fairly recent and progressive stance on divorcing in this country.
Because religious extremists want to abuse their women without them leaving. Mike Johnson took possession* of a 14 year old black kid when Johnson was 25 years old and fresh out of law school.
Conservative, religious men want to marry preteen girls. This is part of that process.
Big Aqua Tofana has been lobbying lately.
Lmao. I love this "Big Aqua Tofana" is such a fun lens to look at this through. Ty!
A bunch of abusive Conservative guys looking to trap
I hate it here so much, what the fuck is wrong with people. Please stop voting stupidly
We voted for Trump twice. Sorry, we're fucked as a state. Its like a dog who could have run free or go to a home of abuse and torture. We chose to be abused. I lost faith in this state.
Edit: Three times. Thank you for the correction
Three times.
Yep. Forgot that somehow. Idk how.
It’s important to me that people don’t forget for when conservatives inevitably start talking about Trump the way they distance themselves from Bush now.
It happens so often it just runs together, like the shit escaping Trumps diaper.
2016 - 2025 made me lose hope not just for the state but all of humanity.
Yeah I've been told I was too much of a doomer the last 10 years of american politics, yet I keep predicting things correctly. I'd love to be wrong at this point. Even I didn't think things would get this bad but I'm also not really surprised anymore either.
I don’t see how anyone couldn’t be a doomer or at least more outraged if they’re actually informed of everything going on and the erosion it’s causing to the current and future fabric of civilization. Most people are in their own world and totally unaware of the massive and very frequent tectonic plate shifts happening in our reality and society. They’re soundly asleep while political and existential earthquakes are damaging the foundation of their sociological house.
On another post I pointed out that I’ve never had to wake up worried the president started a war overnight, stripped away more rights by executive order, or did something unhinged like renaming a mountain range after himself. I was told I was overreacting. 🙄
🎯
To be fair, here in Missouri it’s not always what we voted for- the politicians have been ignoring the wishes of the people & saying “f**k you, we know better” & actively un-doing what we voted for for a few years now… 🤬
Great point - unfortunately!
Without checking, sounds like project 2025 agenda.
Ending No Fault Divorce was a Republican plank in the 2024 election, so not shocking they're trying to find work arounds.
It’s part of Project 2026
Ding ding ding ding ding
this tracks from a state that didn’t outlaw child marriage until august 2025
For real? Goddammit Missouri, be better!
Yep. There’s video of at least one state rep/senator defending child marriage
He's probably sex trafficking children. Someone go to his house immediately.
For people who claim to want all this freedom, they sure do like control, in and outside of the bedroom.
If you have a healthy marriage, you don’t need a law to force you to stay together.
lol!! More controlling by the government. Why are they wasting time with shit like this.
so different levels of marriage? “real” marriages and the rest?
sounds like unequal treatment under the law.
So grateful we have the GOP, the Party of Small Government, the party of people who don’t want Big Gubmint in their lives, to provide ever more regulations on the most intimate of personal relationships. Ain’t it great?
Soooo, is it available to gays? Or is this one of those straight only things?
Unfortunately, because it’s rooted in some deep, cult-like religious ideology, I’m pretty sure the straights will be keeping this one. Better luck next time tho! 😀
I imagine it would be applied to all state recognized marriage licenses.
If you believe marriage is a covenant, you'll follow that anyway, with oversight from your church leadership. They have all sorts of options already available to them outside of the legal system - church discipline, exclusion, social pressure, etc.
If you don't, it's irrelevant.
What on earth does adding a secular/legal "covenant" option add?
Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition …There must be in-groups (1) whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups (2) whom the law binds but does not protect.
1: Men
2: Women
Now you know what it adds.
I know several conservative Christians who have been married 3+ times and will jump into marriage to have sex. I'm willing to bet the legal restraints would prevent their wives from divorcing them as easily. I know a boomer that's on his seventh wife. It's not a secret that he is doing it just to get around the premarital sex rule. You'd think he'd just drop that part of his faith instead of making marriage meaningless.
Edited because it was early and I wasn't reading clearly:
No Fault Divorce protects abused spouses and people in troubled marriages. Republicans want to end it because their family values include making their wives submit to them and generally take punishment and be incubators for children.
While they bang the church secretary or test drive their next younger model/trophy tradwife
So is this another name applied that makes you think it means one thing but its actually some underhanded bullshit like "right to work"?
No fault is the current default which allows parties to divorce for any reason at all. Covenant marriage would be created as a different type of legal marriage under this proposed bill. Covenant marriage would make it harder for parties to divorce except for specific reasons like cheating.
So we currently have no fault divorce here in missouri? And they want to add an afditional type of marriage that is basically a shitty legally binding contract?
Seems like we should let it pass and if anyone tries to use it it should be an immediate red flag
Abuse. That's called "fault"
Which puts the burden on the person wanting a divorce to prove there is abuse. No need for that with no fault divorce.
It's wild to consider how fucked in the head any woman that votes for Republicans must be.
It's harder to get and is only available to straight couples. It's meant as an end-run around Obergefell v. Hodges in addition to trapping women in abusive marriages. Mark my words, the (broad) playbook will be as follows:
Thus they have in three steps both deprived non-hetero couples of their rights and trapped women back in abusive marriages that the husband effectively controls.
Another reason why I want out of this state.
And another reason why I'm glad I'm never married.
Conservative platform: Lower the age of consent, lower the marriage age, make it harder to get a divorce and birth control and abortions. Do you see the pattern?
Men not wanting to split assets or pay child support
Prenup is a lot easier than passing legislation, but the prenup cant do anything related to child support
This isn’t just more of the Toxic Masculinity BS
I would consider it more consistent with Christian nationalism, there is a lot of overlap with the masculinity rhetoric online too.
To me its clear that the GOPs ulterior motive is to place women firmly under the thumb of men again, women have progressed a lot in the past 50 years and are excelling men in some important areas.
This has revealed a common baseline level of misogyny, especially in our government. MTG, as neurotic as she is, has said the men in the GOP congress dont respect women.
Abortion and birth control legislation, promoting "traditional" home life, allowing more Christianity to be in public schools etc. And mentions of repealing the 19th.
State sanctioned narcissism
More “we’re better than you because Jesus” bullshit
Actually, most Conservatives will say they are devoutly Christian. But they never quote gospel, don’t follow Christs’ teaching. They sidestep real Christianity for the subservience and punishment (fire and brimstone) of the Old Testament. They need the rules and control.
I love religious people. They just suck so hard.
They're just victims. It's the religion itself that's rotten.
Mike Moon would wet himself if this would also apply to 12 year old arranged marriages.
The sponsor of this bill is probably trying to make it harder for his beard to leave him 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Don't ever get married. There's zero benefits for either party.
Honestly. I really don’t see the up side. I want to give my partner the things she wants because I love her, but this kind of entrapment through guilt is just horrible.
I’m a born again Christian and conservative Republican (at least I used to be) who doesn’t like Trump.
I am all for covenant marriage because that’s what is in the Bible. For Christians, marriage is supposed to be a covenant relationship with your spouse that bespeaks the covenant relationship God has with us, and foretells the Church being the Bride of Christ. Covenant marriage means you don’t leave the relationship because she burned the meat loaf or he spends too much time with his cars.
However, I do not believe it to be correct to take this relationship from the spiritual realm and codify it in man’s laws. By my demographic, one would expect me to support this, but it’s just not right. I think married people should live in a covenant relationship, but that’s on them to do.
I appreciate that you don’t believe that the state should be involved in covenant marriage but I also think it is important to understand that it is women who are overwhelmingly the ones initiating divorce. https://www.asanet.org/women-more-likely-men-initiate-divorces-not-non-marital-breakups/
This law is not to protect marriage and it is not to protect women. It is designed to allow men to keep women in marriages that they want to leave.
Women report much greater dissatisfaction in marital relationships, in large part because they are often much less egalitarian than other romantic relationships. Many women want out of marriages because they are both contributing financially and are still expected to do most of the housework and childcare. Also some men seem to think that they should be the boss of their families in marital relationships.
There is nothing in these bills that allows for divorce in these type of circumstance and that is very much intentional
This is a part of a large number of GOP initiatives that are specifically designed to reduce women’s independence and equality and it is not going unnoticed by women throughout the US.
Ditto for the Christian definition of marriage.
Um, lol. Thanks.
Yeah. You keep your freaky cult shit to yourself. The rest of us don’t need that.
that’s pretty much what he’s saying.
Yeah!
Remember that the vast majority of bills that are introduced don’t get passed. Certainly something to keep an eye on though.
Talking about things without objection or push back puts them on the path of normalization though. The Overton window if you will.
Totally. I didn’t say don't object, I just see so many people think that because a bill is introduced means it will pass when we know the vast majority of them never do.
I lost count of how many times you get down voted for stating a basic fact. But feelings are more important around here!
Understandably people have a lot of pent up frustration with politics and politicians. But too often it’s unregulated anger which doesn’t usually achieve constructive goals.
https://documents.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills261/hlrbillspdf/4183H.01I.pdf For anyone who wants to read it.
This some sick shit
Of all the problems in this state, a MAGA legislator spent taxpayer time on this. Disgusting.
Conservative men want so badly to get rid of no fault divorce, but no fault divorce is exactly what gives men a default 50/50 custody of their children if they at least show up to divorce court. Getting rid of no fault divorce will bring to light all the horrendous ways these men treat their wives and kids, which leads to the divorce in the first place.
These churches need to stay out of state business. If folks want to make stronger vows, they can do that on their own. Creating extra legal hurdles is something that people who are too weak to keep a commitment based on their WORD think is a good idea.
Really HB 2548 is about entrapping women and holding them hostage no matter how abusive, unhealthy or harmful it is for her and or the children.
Men would be given easy access to a divorce by most MO judges, not all. Probably would be given most if not all the assets.
This is right out the of Project 25 … their bible and constitution. Rules to Oligarchy by.
This is ridiculous! Why would you vote to prolong divorce ? It’s already painful enough.
I'm pretty positive this bill has been proposed several times, not just for this legislative session.
So they want a special marriage with special rights, not equal rights?
So there will be less marriage. Cool.
People get divorced for lots of reasons, how can you possibly know how or why it may accrue. I thought I was happy and there was nothing that could possibly ruin a good marriage! Then I caught her cheating! So you think there is a law that is going to allow me to forgive her! Not just, “No!” but “HELL NO!!!”
You can make any kind of private marriage arrangements you want. Just don't expect the State to enforce it.
Control freaks will cause the murder rate to go up!
A "covenant marriage" is straight out of romance fiction. It was the demand for "forever" that made the hero's halo shine brightest. 1 step above the 1970' and 80's era " gentle rape" fiction. Just check the back cover blurb from some of those books. Please tell me that 21st century women expect more.
Stupid motherfuckers don't know about aqua tofana and how its use declined after no fault divorce
Yeah, this is a foolish law and waste of time and money.
I say we go back to celtic marriages. The licenses expire. You can get them for however long, and then if you still like the person, just renew it. Solves so many problems. And pretty well, divorce is unnecessary at that point.
Missouri out here going into 2026 BC instead of AD.
Missouri is one of the top states in the nation for abuse of women. The last I heard it was somewhere around 3rd or 4th. Looks like our Missouri legislature wants to be number one.
I am part of an organization that helps abused women escape. What is scary is how much abuse is underreported. Too many times law enforcement fails to intervene because it is a "he said, she said" situation with no other witnesses since abuse typically happens at home when they are alone together. So if he obviously tried to strangle her and there is bruise marks from a pair of hands around her neck that are too large to be her own, he just says that she did it to herself to get sympathy and he is off the hook. Or if he tormented her for hours with a gun and it goes off then it is reported as an accidental gun discharge while cleaning his gun. Pathetic!
If she wants to leave she can, but law enforcement can only let her take her clothes and toothbrush plus give her one phone call at the police station. She can't just take her children even if she feels they aren't safe remaining with him. Nor can she take her beloved pet, her car, her keys, her purse, her phone, nothing she didn't already have with her when she ran for her life.
Shelters for abused women are FULL and our organization is lucky if they can even find a bed for her in a homeless shelter several counties away. Given this, women often feel that they have no choice except to go back because they have so few resources that they can't even survive the night.
How does she escape and still get the proof of abuse she needs to get out of a covenant divorce in a situation like this? Just die?
Whoever wrote this legislation does not need to be in the legislature. They need counseling and mental health training and a stay in a psychiatric hospital.
I wouldn't ever do it, but as long as it's optional, then whatever.
[deleted]
…and how is this the business of the state and why should any of my taxes be used to support it?
Why is no fault marriage the business of the state?
Easy fix. Don't get married. It worked for me.
https://documents.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills261/hlrbillspdf/4183H.01I.pdf
Sounds like a pain in the butt.
If both parties agree, no problem from me.
43% of first marriages end in divorce, while the rates increase to 60% for second marriages and 73% for third marriages. Divorce is bad and the largest shared trait amongst criminals is that they came from a single parent household.
Incentives to prevent divorce are a good thing - people should not get married if they do not intend to stay with the person. Reddit is just super biased and closed minded to opinions outside their small world-view.
When you say it like that, preventing marriage seems like the best course of action.
Understandable take, but I think that would be catastrophic to liberty and human rights.
Marriage is an absolutely essential counterweight to Oligarchy and Autocracy. It is the foundation of local community. Without marriage, children are basically owned, raised, and educated by the state. Eliminating marriage is the quickest route to mind-controlled drones.
We currently have plenty of children outside of marriage that are not owned or raised by the state. What are you on about?
What examples do you have? Single-parent households create children whose education is provided by a public school while their parent(s) work...that is literally the child being raised and indoctrinated by the state; same can be said for every kid from a single-parent home whose belly is filled by things like SNAP or school lunch programs...that is being fed by the state.
Dual parent households create children whose education is provided by a public school while their parents work. It's the same for people that receive SNAP benefits.
What's wrong with your brain? Are you on drugs or something?
Yes, the currently diminished form of marriage and community creates many children who are also raised by the state. But this is not ideal, and the likelihood of being raised by the state grows significantly under a single parent household.
It's not drugs friend, it's called education and asking questions. Read a book not written in the last 100 years sometime, it really opens up your perspective on things. FYI, the modern schooling system was created by the Prussians with a very specific purpose in mind....and you know who the Prussians ended up becoming right?
This is getting good. What's the currently diminished form of marriage and community? How does it differ from the previously undiminished form of marriage and community? Please be specific.
No comment on our school system coming from the Nazis?
Marriage is diminished because divorce is so high.....there is no true commitment or bonding of souls. It is a state sanctioned event just like getting your drivers license.
Early 18th century Prussians weren't Nazis and the Prussian model of education isn't the first thing that was designed for one reason and then found widely useful for others.
Marriage is what each couple makes of it. It sounds like yours didn't go well.