EDITORIAL - Support for divorce

It won’t get the nod of the Vatican, although Pope Francis has indicated a softening of the Catholic Church’s stance against divorce. Some quarters also say that approval of divorce in the only country where it is still banned will need a constitutional amendment.

In a democracy, however, there is no harm in getting the debate going on an issue that has been pushed, significantly, by women’s groups. The debate must include the hypocrisy that characterizes many marriages in this country, with even prominent politicians openly and proudly maintaining two or even more families, with short-time lovers on the side.

Women trapped in loveless marriages or, worse, condemned to a lifetime of domestic violence at the hands of their husbands are among the biggest supporters of the approval of divorce. It gives couples a chance to find new loves. It puts an end to a bond sustained by nothing but deception and allows estranged couples to start life anew. Even children may find relief from seeing an end to regular and sometimes violent fights between their parents.

In the past years, the biggest opponents of the divorce bill have been male lawmakers, raising suspicions that apart from trying to win brownie points with the Church, they want to avoid the prospect of paying child support and alimony. Philanderers can also no longer cite their married status as an excuse for their inability to commit to a long-term, meaningful relationship with a lover.

Opponents of divorce point to annulment and the so-called Catholic divorce as options for those who want to get out of a failed marriage. Both options, however, are tortuous processes and, for Catholic divorce in particular, only for the rich. A recent Social Weather Stations survey showed 60 percent of Filipinos supporting divorce, with only 29 percent against it. The percentage of support is higher from a similar survey in 2011. The survey results should encourage more legislative debates on the issue.