Mississippi legislators who refused to advance a bill that would permit a spouse who suffers from domestic violence to obtain a divorce do a disservice to their state and to the true victims of domestic violence.
It is well-recognized that Mississippi has some of the strictest divorce laws in the county, but it is also well-recognized that domestic violence is a serious crime and that there are thousands of people who are regularly beaten, tortured and in some cases even killed by their spouses or cohabitants. It is well-recognized that there is a positive correlation between spousal abuse and child abuse and that children, even when they are not themselves physically assaulted, suffer deep and lasting emotional effects from exposure to domestic violence.
It is difficult to believe that a balance cannot be achieved between Mississippi’s desire to maintain a conservative divorce statute and the need to provide the utmost protection to victims of domestic violence and their children.
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