THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 4, 1997 TAG: 9702040012
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 27 lines
There is an amendment to Virginia's divorce law snaking its way through the General Assembly that would further weaken Virginia's families by making it easier for a husband to desert a long-time wife and children by being held less accountable to his marriage vows than is now the case.
House Bill 2131 would allow a judge, at his discretion, to award so-called ``rehabilitative'' alimony, usually three years or so, to a wife of up to 20 years. The wife could have been a full-time homemaker, never worked outside of the home, with teen-agers and with 10 or 15 years more to go with dependent children. It would make no difference. She would be expected to be ``rehabilitated'' by the end of the 36 months and to be self-supporting. No matter that she had been out of the work force for 20 years and had no publication skills when she was young.
Remember, the more pleasurable and easy we make divorce for husbands, the more likely they are to bolt at middle-age. Unfortunately, that is a fact of life.
The good citizens of Virginia should stop HB 2131 in its tracks.
BETTY FRAILEY
Grafton, Jan. 21, 1997