Spain Gets on Divorce Express

Church leaders say marriage contract is now 'trash'
By Caroline Miller,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 28, 2008 11:06 AM CST
Spain Gets on Divorce Express
Removing obstacles to divorce in Spain has not only made it easier to end an unhappy marriage, but has made the country's divorce rate one of the highest in the European Union, causing some to rally.   (Shutterstock.com)

Marriage has become a battleground in Spain, where divorce has been legal for 20 years, but a recent reform accelerating the process led to a 74% spike in the divorce rate. With 1 in every 2.3 married couples now parting, the Catholic Church is accusing the socialist government of obliterating family values, Time reports. "The reform has transformed the marriage contract into trash," says one activist against what has been dubbed "express divorce."

The 2005 change, which did away with a mandatory year-long separation, has made the country's divorce rate one of the highest in Europe. Still, one sociologist says there's no cause for concern: "The number of divorces may have climbed, but the number of separations has decreased by almost the same amount." (More Spain stories.)

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