Children’s plight in divorce and annulment
THE discussion on the House of Representatives’ approved bill on divorce as an option for married couples and outcome of the Senate’s debate on the issue is becoming a very heated and emotional in many communities.
As expected, the center of disagreements is the Catholic doctrine about marriage. Curiously, the emotional debates are along the corridors of church communities and organizations. Catholics vs. Catholics, not Catholics vs. Protestants.
The saradong Catholics recite quotes from the Bible and would not agree to any thing that does not conform with the Bible. The legally-minded Catholics argue against growing irrelevance of the law on annulment by both the courts and the Church.
Worst, lost in these discussions is the plight of children in marriage after annulment or divorce.
Note that a marriage annulment declares that a marriage was never valid, but requires a specific set of circumstances and evidence to earn it while a divorce legally concludes a valid marriage with any and all reasons with evidence but reason for or about children are basically irrelevant.
Today, annulment cases have become selfish options in relationships between spouses. In annulment proceedings, those who could not live with the other, i.e., one spouse readily agrees to be accused of insanity or anything that will can demean their persons. Anything to declare the marriage annulled.
In court proceedings for a divorce, admission by both spouses to be incompatible sexually, in habits and moral values will suffice. Easy does it.
But what of the children? Both annulment and divorce decides on the custody of the children but annulment does not define rules about the children’s upkeep and development. In contrast, divorce states specific responsibilities of each spouse to the children.
Hence, once divorce is passed into law, for sure annulment will no longer be resorted to couples in trouble. But let it not be said that annulment does not serve benefits to the couples, because it does. In divorce, responsibilities and financial ownerships continue between couples while annulment ends any legal or financial liabilities to themselves and their children.
In this regard, it will help the Catholic Church’s cause if the catholic legislators incorporate protection of children as a major factor in annulment cases.
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