New Jersey bishops object to bill they say would make divorce easier

Published: 2006-11-20

TRENTON, N.J. (CNS) -- The New Jersey Catholic Conference opposes a bill in the state Legislature it says will facilitate divorces. The bill, S 1467, would establish new grounds for divorce -- "irreconcilable differences which have caused the breakdown of the marriage for a period of six months and which make it appear that the marriage should be dissolved and that there is no reasonable prospect of reconciliation." The bill was reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee Nov. 13. The next voting session in the Senate is Dec. 1. "Six months is an insufficient period of time to conclude that a marriage should be dissolved," said Patrick R. Brannigan, executive director of the New Jersey Catholic Conference. "The conference rejects the proposition that divorce is inevitable and therefore the Legislature should take action to permit two parties to begin to dissolve a marriage in a somewhat amicable fashion after a six-month period of differences."

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