Many abuse victims and children lose their lives when trying to get a divorce.
No path is entirely safe when escaping danger, but as seen with Mica Francis, who was forced to stay in the vicinity of her abuser for a year to seek a divorce that never came to fruition, even adding stipulations onto the no-fault option can be the deciding factor between life and death.
It is much worse in a state where the victim must prove fault. Because of the effects of coercive control, most victims are not able to leave because of the uphill battle emotionally, physically, psychologically, and financially.
For the few who can, abusive spouses take advantage of these legal boundaries that give them easy access and lack legal safety protections for their victims. These situations often see increased levels of harrassment, stalking, and threats, leaving victims with nowhere to hide.
No-fault divorce allows victims a safer path to leave while protecting both the abuser’s reputation and the victim from having to stay in the area and participate in a trial to prove fault.
Although God’s Word gives guidelines for divorce and does not condone divorce for any reason as no-fault divorce would suggest, it is not God’s will to force people to stay in oppression and destruction.
It’s not up to the government to validate broken vows and the truth people already know, especially when lives are on the line. God allows cruelty for reasons we can’t always understand, but He also rescues and delivers the vulnerable from the hand of the wicked, and sets captives free.
Although proving fault may sound like a righteous endeavor on paper, the effort to control divorce in reality has given way to oppression and cost countless lives. It’s time to put fault divorce in the grave before more victims are buried alive by the legal bounds of enslavement, the burden of proof, and the insurmountable weight of injustice.
Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. – Proverbs 31:8-9
A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight. – Proverbs 11:1
The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. – Psalm 11:5
The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. – Psalm 103:6
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. – Ephesians 5:15-17
Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. – Proverbs 24:11
Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. – Psalm 82:4
Link to petition creator’s story: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Eux8pYMCf/
