GOP Lawmaker: We Must Make It Harder To Divorce Or Teenage Girls Will Be ‘More Promiscuous’

[Tx4obama]

GOP Lawmaker: We Must Make It Harder To Divorce Or Teenage Girls Will Be ‘More Promiscuous’

On Monday, the Iowa state House moved out of committee a bill that would make no-fault divorces illegal. That’s a huge relief for one state legislator, who fears that no-fault divorce will turn his 16-year-old granddaughter into a harlot.

State Representative Tedd Gassman (R) spoke emotionally about the legislation — which would require all parents of children under 18 to prove their spouse had committed a crime, abandoned the family, or committed adultery — saying that it related to the real-life scenario of his daughter’s divorce. That situation, he said, was at risk of turning his daughter into a hormonal trollop: ...

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Full article here: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/03/05/1670841/no-fault-divorce-promiscuity/

[aquart]

1. Lotta respect for his daughter this swine has.

And granddaughter.

Makes me wonder if he wants her all to himself.

[htuttle]

2. He wishes.

[yourout]

3. Hey dumbass.....making it harder to marry would make a lot more sense.

[LiberalFighter]

10. I would say more people having second thoughts about getting married.

[Rhiannon12866]

11. +1!

[mac56]

4. Jebus. If I were that 16 year old granddaughter, I'd want to change my name and move.

Gonna be some tense times at the ol' Sunday supper table, I reckon.

[appleannie1]

5. Does that idiot think teens living in an unhappy home don't seek comfort elsewhere?

If anything living in that kind of stress could make them more promiscuous. And why are women always "hormonal trollops" and the good ole boys just sowing oats doing what guys do?

[Divernan]

6. This 70 yr. old farmer was elected in 2012 to his 1st political office.

Defeated his incumbent Democratic opponent in a newly formed district by less than one percent (0.26 percent) of the vote.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tedd_Gassman
Gassman(R) got 47.97 percent of the vote
Wittenben(D) got 47.69 percent of the vote

Looks to be that's what's left in the Republican party - angry old white men.

What a world view this old guy has - teenage girls are trollops?

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. Wonder if his wife has enough insurance on him?

More than one way to get out of a marriage to an asshole.

[daybranch]

8. OK , show some empathy

While I deplore the legislator's ignorance I can sympathize with his desire to have a grandchild who he believes will be more happy if she remains in a married relationship, a relationship he see as generally preferable to promiscuity.
Of course making it hard to divorce may continue suffering of the involved individuals and not only females in unhappy relationships. Of course making it harder to get married may be a better solution.
I think in either case, the goal is to establish some continuity to the institutions that produce and support families and children. I hope most in the country see this as a valid goal if marriage is to continue to exist. After all the demands for recognition of marriage for the LGBT community, I would hazard a guess that most of us accept marriage as a profession of our love and beneficial to the individual and to society as well as a human right.

I guess the question really is how do you support marriages if you have the expectation those you love would be happier in a more stable committed relationship of mutual support. Do we become prescriptive as the legislator seems to favor or do we enable the situation. Are we going to prescribe laws making it harder to divorce and therefore interfering with one's freedoms or are we going to make the choice to marry and remain in a marriage more inviting in a positive matter. We have tax codes to foster marriage and procreation and ease the burdens of raising children. But we must look at the situation objectively. Are we doing what we can for example does the lack of a living wage contribute significantly to divorce? Do our welfare laws unfairly penalize families in which the male has lost a job? Do we prrovide the prenatal care needed when the money is not available in the family?

While I disagree with the legislators supposed methods and I certainly disagree with his characterization of the consequences of easy divorce, I believe many of us share the belief that mores decline (however we define it) is not good for individuals and the society. Rather than just ban divorces or make other attempts to compell particular situations, let us establish an environment which fosters good mores, strong families, and healthy nourished children. Let us spend less time judging , but see the situation as it exists and rather than emphasizing the ignorance, comment appropriately. So let us keep working for that system that offers freedom for al but which nurtures each of us in a reasonable way to preserve our choices.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

9. don't tell him about Texas!! We have no-fault divorce

AND community property! That means women are equal!! Women have been able to own property in their own names since 1836, the first year of the Republic.

This is due to the Spanish law which is far more equal for women than English or French (Louisiana) law.

[blkmusclmachine]

12. Covenant marriage. Talibangelical stuff. Huckabee wanted it for AR.

Part of the Christian Dominionist/New Apolistic Reformation movement. Scary stuff.

[magical thyme]

13. proving that teenage girls are smarter than GOP lawmakers

At most, they'll be less likely to get married if you make it harder to get divorced down the road. And wouldn't that make them "more promiscuous," not less so?

And what about teenage boys, Mr. Gassbag? Will they be "more promiscuous?" Or are they "just being boys?"

[hamsterjill]

14. Unbelieveable

Simply, almost - unbelieveable.

How do you go about FORCING a father to stay in a home? What if that father is abusive? As a good friend (a lawyer) always used to say, "a good divorce is better than a bad marriage".

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

15. So what I'm hearing...

Is that I should just get right down to the County Courthouse and hang out around the Family Court.

Pick me up some recently-divorced sixteen year olds.

Bow-chicka-bow-bow.

[Jefferson23]

16. The GOP, they do stupid better than anyone.

Authoritarian til the end.

[sakabatou]

17. Welcome to the Republican theocracy.

[bobclark86]

18. Divorce won't make his granddaughter a harlot...

Emotionally stunting her with right-wing bullshit might, though...