2016 Democrats on No-Fault Divorce

Then-First Lady Clinton: “Divorce Has Become Too Easy Because Of Our Permissive Laws And Attitudes.” [Hillary Clinton, Creator’s Syndicate, 1/28/96] Then-First Lady Clinton: “I Think Getting A Divorce Should Be Much Harder When Children Are Involved.” [Hillary Clinton, Creator’s Syndicate, 1/28/96] Then-First Lady Clinton: “For Much Of The 1970s And 1980s, Many Believed That A Bad Marriage Was Worse Than A Good Divorce. Now, However, We Know That Children Bear The Brunt Of Failed Marriages.” [Hillary Clinton, Creator’s Syndicate, 1/28/96] Then-First Lady Clinton, When Asked If She Would Favor A State Getting Rid Of No-Fault Divorce: “Not At This Point.” “MS. REHM: Does that -- excuse me. Does that mean that you would favor Michigan's doing away with no-fault divorce? MRS. CLINTON: Not at this point. What I would favor is what I call braking mechanisms and required education and counseling for couples with children. I know that divorce will continue. I do believe that we're starting to see it level off as the results of divorce on children are honestly evaluated. But I believe that we could do more to encourage couples to weather some of the difficulties in marriage that are inevitable in any marriage that I'm aware of, with more information about what divorce does for kids. There was a myth in the '70s and '80s that, you know, a bad marriage was, you know, worse than a good divorce. Well we now know that, you know, most divorces are not good for children.” [WAMU, Diane Rehm Show, 1/15/96] Chicago Tribune On Hillary Clinton: “She Is Right To Question The Results Of No-Fault Divorce Laws.” “She is right to question the results of no-fault divorce laws, to look for ways to raise immunization rates among preschoolers, to reduce the incidence of low-birthweight newborns and to cut the number of births to unmarried teenagers.” [Chicago Tribune, 1/11/96] Then-First Lady Clinton: “I Am Ambivalent About No-Fault Divorce With No Waiting Period When Children Are Involved.” “I am not saying that there are not reasons for divorce. The abuse and violence Virginia Kelley experienced is something no parent or child should endure. But with divorce as easy as it is, and its consequences so hard, people with children need to ask themselves whether they have given a marriage their best shot and what more they can do to make it work before they call it quits. For this reason, I am ambivalent about no-fault divorce with no waiting period when children are involved. We should consider returning to mandatory ‘cooling off’ periods, with education and counseling for partners.” [Hillary Clinton, It Takes A Village, 9/25/96] Then-Senator Clinton: “I Think That If We Were Really Concerned About Marriage And That We Believed It Had A Role In The Federal Constitution, We Have Been Missing In Action. We Should Have Been In This Chamber Trying To Amend Our Constitution To Take Away At The Very First Blush The Idea Of No-Fault Divorce.” “I think that if we were really concerned about marriage and that we believed it had a role in the Federal Constitution, we have been missing in action. We should have been in this Chamber trying to amend our Constitution to take away at the very first blush the idea of no- fault divorce, try to get in there and tell the States what they should and should not do with respect to marriage and divorce, maybe try to write an amendment to the Constitution about custody matters. Maybe we should have it be a presumption in our Federal marriage law that joint custody is the rule. Maybe we ought to just substitute ourselves for States, for judges, for individuals who are making these decisions every single day throughout our Nation.” [Page S7962, Congressional Record, 7/13/04]