Divorce: to be or not to be?

It's taken a long time: divorce now almost worldwide

In Spain, Catholic officials and the government have
clashed for years on issues such as abortion, divorce,
and marriage between same-sex couples. Above,
it's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero
and Cardinal Antonio Rouco Varela of Madrid.

If it didn't start the downward slide, divorce came quite early in the worldwide move to contraception, abortion, acceptance of homosexual behaviour, condoms as a solution to transmission of AIDS, sex education for children by people other than their parents, and euthanasia. However, even divorce, after nearly a century, has not become worldwide – quite.

Voters in Malta approved a referendum to legalize divorce May 29. That doesn't mean divorce is legal yet, but it does mean the House of Representatives has to debate it, which may mean the writing is on the wall.

There is a bill being considered in the Philippines Congress that would legalize divorce. The bishops there are not happy about this.

The legislature in the Philippines is also considering a "reproductive health bill" that allows the use of contraception. The bishops in the country are even suggesting the non-payment of taxes if it passes.

If these two countries fall on the divorce issue, Vatican City will be the only country with no legal provision for divorce.

While it is sad to think there isn't more resistance to divorce being allowed by law, it is always slightly surprising to consider that considerably more than half of marriages DO survive, i.e., do not end in divorce.

Where divorce is allowed by law, individuals are given the chance to do what is right through their own choice, rather than because it is forced on them, which surely is meritorious.

Unfortunately it seems to be true that people's behaviour is quite affected by what their legislators have said, leading them into actions which do such harm to their own lives and the lives of so many others. It is so difficult for those in the midst of difficult situations to see clearly what really is best for them.