WHAT'S FAULT GOT TO DO WITH IT?

Once again, despite another valiant attempt by Representative Matt Krause, the 2019 Texas Legislature failed to repeal Section 6.001 of the Texas Family Code, which authorizes divorce commonly know as "no-fault divorce". Hear are six important things to understand about this law:

1. There is no constitutional or fundamental right to divorce like there is to marry.

2. No fault does not mean no contest or no fight.

3. Even in a "no-fault" divorce, parties often still allege fault to gain an advantage in regard to other issues such as conservatorship (custody) of the children, property division, and separate maintenance (alimony).

4. Research indicates that the absence of a parent or the separation of the parents increases the likelihood of all sorts of negative behaviors and consequences for the children.

5. Divorce leads to poverty for children and reduced wealth for adults.

6. The lack of trust resulting from the divorce of parents, negatively impacts a child's ability to make durable commitments in adulthood, perpetuating the cycle.

7. The value of the child's father in his or her life is not a partisan or solely religious proposition as evidenced by the position of the former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Julian Castro, and the research of the National Fatherhood Initiative.