I just received in the mail today a copy of Oklahoma’s 2001 baseline statewide survey on marriage and divorce [pdf]. As many of you know, Oklahoma launched in 1999 the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative. One of the first things it did was to adminster this survey of Oklahoman’s marriage attitudes and behaviors. It has some interesting data. Here is some of the stuff that jumped out at me: ...

Tables 18 and 19 looks at the association between age of first marriage and probability of divorce and later marital happiness. Their findings suggest both that those who marry very young (younger than 20) have the highest rates of divorce–and report higher rates of marital happiness than those who married 28+. ...

Table 22 looks at responses to the question “Are you glad you are still together?” by currently married people who report that they at some point thought their marriage was in trouble or thought of divorce. Of those who were still together <1-7 years after the crisis, 79 percent said they are “glad” that they are still together. By 8-18 years later, 96 percent of the respondents said they were glad to be still together.

Labels: age at first marriage, culture, divorce, Marriage, Oklahoma, religion

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The Center for Disease Control has released its data on abortion statistics for the year 2007. One of the most noteworthy findings is that abortions were nearly at a 10-year low during that year. ...

Other bits of data from the report: New York had the most abortions of any state, with 128,036 reported in that year. Among racial and ethnic groups, black women had both the highest abortion rates (32.1 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years) and the highest abortion ratios (480 abortions per 1,000 live births). The report notes that "according to the most recent national estimates, nearly one fifth of all pregnancies in the United States end in abortion." Also, National Review zeroes in on a 6 percent dip in abortion rates in Oklahoma, "possibly thanks to pro-life legislation passed in 2006" that "includes a parental-consent requirement, allows a woman to view her unborn child on ultrasound before an abortion, [and] informs women that unborn children older than 20 weeks' gestation may feel pain."

It's worth pointing out that the 2007 numbers only reflect 47 states. California and New Hampshire declined to report data to the CDC, as they have every year since 1997. For 2007, Maryland recused itself too.

Labels: abortion, culture, Oklahoma

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A measure to require couples to undergo two hours of counseling before marriage won approval 51-45 on Wednesday in the state House of Representatives.

House Bill 2634 by Rep. Mark McCullough, R-Sapulpa, would also allow people who have eight hours or more of premarital counseling to receive a $45 discount on the $50 marriage license.

McCullough said the goal of the counseling is to expose couples to the idea that they can get help if problems develop in their marriage.

The measure would also abolish common-law marriage, through which two people who have not had a civil ceremony but present themselves as husband and wife are considered legally married. ...

The bill would also require educational classes for couples who seek to divorce, McCullough said.

Labels: common-law, divorce, divorce reform, Marriage, marriage counseling, Oklahoma

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Touching on a sensitive issue among conservatives nationwide, the Republican-controlled Oklahoma Legislature is embroiled in a dispute over whether lawmakers should remain focused on the state's budget problems and other fiscal priorities or delve into family issues, especially the state's chronically high divorce rate.

Republican members proposed three pieces of legislation imposing new regulations on marriage and divorce in Oklahoma. Two of the measures were defeated, but another — requiring counseling for those planning to wed, and therapy sessions for couples considering divorce — is awaiting action.

The issue has produced sharp clashes among conservative colleagues who normally find themselves in agreement. The debates have featured charges of hypocrisy and of betraying Republican principles against government intrusion into private lives. ...

The most recent federal health statistics in 2007 show the state has the third highest divorce rate in the nation, behind only Nevada and Arkansas. More than half of marriages in Oklahoma end in divorce. In 2007 there were 28,419 marriages and 18,851 divorces.

The divorce problem, which is attributed in part to poverty, teenage pregnancy and a tradition of marrying early, is particularly bedeviling because Oklahoma also has one of the highest rates of church attendance. Promoting family values is a staple of political campaigns at all levels. ...

A study released in 2008 by the Institute for American Values, a private, nonpartisan research group in New York City, estimated the taxpayer cost of divorce and unwed childbearing at $112 billion a year nationwide.

The Legislature debated a bill to require troubled couples to visit a therapist or a faith-based counselor before seeking to end their marriage and another to eliminate incompatibility as grounds for divorce if the couple has children or has been married 10 years or more. Neither were approved, but McCullough's measure to require pre-marriage and troubled-marriage counseling remains alive.

Labels: divorce, divorce reform, government interest in marriage, Marriage, marriage counseling, Oklahoma

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Lawmakers are busy filing a wide range of bills for consideration in the upcoming legislative session that begins in February. ...

Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, has filed a measure that would make it harder to get a divorce. Kern said she is trying to reduce the divorce rate and hopes more couples will reconcile.

House Bill 2279 says a court shall not grant a divorce on the grounds of incompatibility if there are living minor children in the marriage, the parties have been married 10 years or longer, or if either party files a written objection to the divorce.

Kern said if abuse or adultery were present, the divorce would be granted regardless.

"Something is wrong when you can get out of a marriage easier than a loan for a car," Kern said.

Labels: divorce, divorce reform, Oklahoma

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