His opposition to gay marriage is widely known and most likely supported by the majority of his district. However, there is more to the marriage agenda of Dan Severson than just keeping gay Minnesotans from being able to marry. This legislative session, Severson also co-authored a bill to make it more difficult for married citizens to get a divorce. Deemed "dissolution prevention", the bill seeks to force married couples into government therapy for a period of time before they can legally have a divorce.1.15 (b) A dissolution of a marriage shall be granted by a county or district court when
1.16 the court finds that there has been an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage relationship,
1.17 except that if the parties have a minor child, a dissolution may only be granted:
1.18 (1) following a period of dissolution prevention as described in section 518.061 and
1.19 after completion of counseling to explore the possibility of preserving the marriage. The
1.20 parties must seek counseling from an individual licensed by the Board of Marriage and
1.21 Family Therapy or by a member of the clergy
Now I am all for couples finding help in working on their marriage difficulties but it doesn't seem like a function of government to force couples to stay with one another and to force them into counseling. In fact, the Severson bill seeks to force couples to continue being married for no less than TWO YEARS before they can finally be divorced.
2.23 Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, the prevention period required under this
2.24 section begins to run on the date of delivery of the notice under subdivision 2 and must last
2.25 at least two years.
So much for the less government beliefs of the representative from House District 14A.
Cross Posted on St. Cloud Times
