Thursday, October 17, 2002
Chilean lawmakers move divorce bill to the forefront
A story released by Comtex reports that the Chilean Senate on Wednesday took a decisive step toward allowing divorce in the country by approving a provision sanctioning the unilateral dissolution of marriage in the Civil Marriage Bill, which has been debated since 1997.
The provision on unilateral divorce rules that one of the spouses can request "the dissolution of marriage when at least five years have elapsed since the end of the married life or relationship," even if the other spouse is opposed to ending the marriage.
With the approval of unilateral divorce by several committees, the Civil Marriage Law established three reasons for which a marriage could be terminated.
The first is for serious and repeated non-fulfillment of the marriage duties and obligations, which make life in common intolerable.
The second is when both parties agree to divorce three years after the end of their life in common. The last reason approved Wednesday referred to unilateral divorce which, according to ruling party legislators and social representatives, would lead to the establishment of divorce if the marriage bill is approved by the Senate in November and later on by the lower house.
According to public and private institutions, around half the marriages formalized in Chile in the 1990s ended in temporary or definite separation.
