Battered Pregnant Woman Denied Divorce

[Greylyn58]

SPOKANE, Wash. - When Shawnna Hughes discovered she was pregnant, her husband was in jail for beating her. She sought a divorce before his release, and he did not object — but a judge did.

Superior Court Judge Paul Bastine revoked Hughes' divorce until after she gives birth because her husband was not told she was going to have a child and paternity had not been established.

"It is the policy of the state that you cannot dissolve a marriage when one of the parties is pregnant," he said during oral arguments on the case last month.

Hughes, a 27-year-old medical assistant, is 7 months pregnant and says her estranged husband, Carlos Hughes, is not the father. She has appealed the decision.


Why do I feel this country is fast approaching the world shown in "A Handmaids Tale" This is so unbelievable!!

Link: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=718&e=4&u=/ap/20050109/ap_on_re_us/divorce_denied

[Warpy]

1. It's sickening, paternity is irrelevant at this point

English common law stated that any child born within a marriage belonged to the husband. DNA tests have made that little bit of common law obsolete. Paternity and child support can be established after birth.

What does that judge want? Does he want her to get killed before or after the birth?

[Journeyman]

2. So do a paternity test, determine if the woman is truthful. . .

and grant the divorce. If the baby isn't the beater's, he'll probably consent all the more so.

Sometimes, Solomon's wisdom isn't needed to resolve a dilemma that (in this case) only exists in the judge's mind.

[Liberal Veteran]

3. I'm more concerned about the message this sends to abusers...

Keep your wife knocked up and she can't divorce you!

[Lisabtrucking]

8. Your cat mischief looks just like my cat. Nice Kitty's. n/t

[TahitiNut]

4. "when one of the parties is pregnant"???

Uhmmm... like maybe the guy? Sure. What a f*cking putz! :grr:

[vpigrad]

5. Because divorce is worse than murder...

the eyes of the freepers, this woman suffers.

[Lisabtrucking]

6. Sounds like we are repeating history. Hitler would be proud of this

judge. Maybe next time the guy will kill her and the baby. Another unbelievable act of ignorance.

[OKNancy]

7. Really long thread and discussion

in archives on this subject.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1112992