4A • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
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WEDNESDAY, FEB. 20, 2002
POINT-COUNTERPOINT
Should Kansas make it tougher to break up?
Divorce bill may help couples take marriage more seriously
For better or for worse, until death do us part. What happened to the meaning behind these sacred words, words that signify a man and a woman are making a life-long commitment to stay together no matter what circumstances come their way?
One Kansas senator still holds dear these words and is pushing a bill that would make it more difficult for couples to get a divorce. Bob Lyon, a Republican from Winchester, introduced a bill that would not allow couples with children to end a marriage without alleging some kind of wrongdoing by the spouse. His intention with the bill is to make it harder for one spouse to walk away from his or her parental responsibilities.
This bill could not have come at a more perfect time. According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, 9,808 couples got divorced in Kansas in 2000. It estimates that 54 percent of those couples divorced were parents, meaning that about 5,300 families in Kansas were torn apart during the year 2000 because of divorce.
apart during the year 2000 because of This number is alarming because it shows not only did men and women endure the pain of divorce, but children also had to bear the grief right along side their parents.
The well-being and stability of families is at stake when divorce occurs. Children should be able to cling to their families in a world of school shootings and early-age peer pressure.
A study by Martin Richards of Cambridge University's Center for Family Research found that children whose parents are divorced perform poorer in school and demonstrate increased behavior problems than children whose parents have remained together.
Divorce is clearly physically and emotionally draining on everyone involved. With so many emotions at stake, a law making it harder for individuals to obtain a divorce would clearly be ideal.
Nine out of 10 people will marry, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. With that many people
wanting to try their hand at marriage, it is now more important than ever that people understand the effects of divorce for all who are involved.
A strong mentality has developed that the first marriage is simply a practice round. There is no such thing as practice when it comes
Bill aimed at protecting children could do more harm than good
Amy Potter for the editorial board.
Abill proposed by State Sen. Bob Lyon, R-Winchester, would make it harder for certain couples to get a divorce. However, his proposed changes may not have the desired effects. The current grounds for divorce are incompati-
failure to perform a material marital duty, and incompatibility due to mental illness or incapacity. Lyon would like to change these grounds, specifically in the case of marriages where dependent children are involved.
"The existing statute permits one spouse to unilaterally walk away from a fundamental human commitment." Lyon told the Associated Press in January. "It has inadvertently subverted the idea of marital permanence."
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported that from 1995 to 2000, 54 percent of divorces involved minors. Lyon's bill is designed to "provide greater protection to the children of divorce by restricting the ability of one's spouse to walk away from their parental responsibility." The new bill, Senate Bill 173, would not change
their parental responsibility."
The new bill, Senate Bill 173, would not change the grounds for divorce for couples without
greater protection to the children of divorce by restricting the
dependent children.
However, couples with dependent children would be required to meet one of nine new grounds: gross neglect of marital duty, incompatibility due to mental illness, incompatibility due to impotency, adultery, pregnancy by the wife by a person other than the husband, extreme cruelty, habitual use of alcohol or a controlled substance, abandonment for one or more years, and conviction and imprisonment for a felony during the marriage. The bill requires proof by two of three physicians in the case of mental illness.
While the bill proposes to make divorce more difficult, it may actually make divorce harder on the children it is meant to protect. Children may be forced to live in an unhealthy environment due to parental conflict and an unwillingness to assign fault.
Cases of extreme cruelty may also be hard to prove, creating expensive and lengthy cases, said Linda Elrod, a Washburn University law professor and opponent of the legislation.
Anyone who is determined to get a divorce may not be put off by the new sanctions. They may see assigning fault as just another step in the procedure.
procedure. The exact meaning of the terms used in the bill to describe the possible grounds of divorce could be left open for interpretation; for example, the idea of what defines a marital duty could be stretched to guarantee a divorce.
While Lyon's bill proposes to make divorce more difficult in order to protect children, the bill may actually harm children. That is, of course, if the bill is even effective in making a divorce harder at all for couples with dependent children.
Donovan Atkinson for the editorial board.
PERSPECTIVE
'Kansan' should keep pushing, but must ensure accuracy
You probably saw it. You know what I'm talking about. A biting opinion column printed last week about a certain University of Kansas men's basketball coach
READERS' REPRESENTATIVE
What's left to say?
Kansas men's basketball Reaction to the column was swift. Basketball fans denounced the Daily Kansan. A clarification was published. Stories were written. The column's factual omissions and stance were discussed at length.
Clay McCuistion cmccuistion@kansan.com
The answer lies in the structure of the newspaper itself.
Not much about the column's specifics, certainly. But wider, much more important questions remain. How did the Kansan come to publish the piece? How could it make its way through multiple layers of editing?
newspaper issue Traditionally, the Kansan has separate news and editorial staffs. That means that journalism students produce most news content — while a wide array of students from throughout campus write for the opinion page.
write for the Open At professional newspapers, Kansan news adviser Malcolm Gibson said, the situation is different.
situation is uneven. "You don't become a columnist at a newspaper until you've proven yourself a great reporter," Gibson said. "That's how it works."
But the Kansan makes a trade-off. The writing of non-journalism students
allows the editorial page to reflect a wide spectrum of opinions. But it obviously has drawbacks when it comes time to report, dig and research.
report, dig and research Opinion editor Kursten Phelps said she and associate opinion editor Brooke Hesler offered some instruction to her staff.
"This is not unique to this semester," she said. "Columns on the opinion page are regularly poorly reported."
needed. Kansan editor Leita Walker told me that a formal training program would be instituted this semester for opinion staff. She wants to address the problem directly.
staff:
"We as opinion editors give them guidelines and talk to them," Phelps said.
are regularly poorly trained. But even after the training, even after columnists do their best to assemble
sand. But more instruction is clearly needed.
facts and information, work remains. And it's not work that opinion writers can do themselves.
Ultimately, the paper's leaders must ensure accuracy and credibility. They can't simply expect opinion columns to be accurate and ignore them.
"The editors have to question columns that come in." Gibson said.
Phelps said she might have done more to avoid the brouhaha.
"I could have been more demanding." Phelps said. "I assumed that all the bases were covered."
But Kansan columnists shouldn't be scared off by last week's unpleasantness. The KU sports program is the University's sacred cow. Newspapers and their columnists should poke and prod those sacred cows, making sure they're really that sacred.
that sacred.
Columnists and their editors should take last week's column and the reaction to it as a challenge to do better work — and to keep pushing. You, the reader, can't be informed about campus issues if the Kansan holds back out of fear.
But the Kansan must be informed. The Kansan's reporting must be solid.
The Kaisman's reporting You shouldn't have to read the paper at your own risk.
McCuistion is an El Dorado senior in English and journalism.
TALK TO US
Leita Walker
editor
864-4854 or iwakeriKansan.com
Clay McCusition
readers' representative
884-8410 or cmcculsoon@ansan.com
Jay Krail
Kyle Ramsey
managing editors
864-4854 or jraile@kanan.com and
kramsey@kanan.com
Kursten Phelpa Brooke Hesler
opinion editors
864-4810 or kphelpbe@kansas.com and
bheleser@kansas.com
Amber Agee business manager 864-4014 or addreder@kanan.com
Kate Mariani
retail sales manager
864-462 or
retailales@karsan.com
maccoim Gibson general manager and news adviser
Matt Frieder
sales and marketing adviser
864-7866 or mfisher@kansan.com
GUEST COLUMN GUIDELINES
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Matt Fisher
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For more comments, go to www.kansan.com.
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I just wanted to give a shout out to my girl, Brit. I'm waiting to get tickets to her movie, Crossroads. I just wanted to let everyone know that there's no line, and I want to know why. I think you gotta give it up for this girl, because she's hot, and why not? Seriously, get out there and watch Crossroads, 'cause I was going to stand in line, but there's no line. So that's all.
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In response to the guy who called in wondering why girls don't act more like Britney Spears, we've considered your suggestion, and frankly, you're just not worth it.
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I'm a TA, and I just wanted to let you know that flirting with me will improve your grade, so boys, bring it on.
I just want to let you guys know that the article on 2B of today's about Afghanis playing soccer in the field where they killed people, yeah I read that some time last month. Get your articles up to date guys.
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I have a question. I was wondering why my Spanish 104 instructor talked faster than the Spanish soap operas?
To the guy that asked what would Brian Boitano do, well Brian Boitano's my uncle, and he wouldn't do anything, because he's stuck doing the Ice Capades circuit and Jack in the Box commercials.
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So it's the day after Valentine's Day, and I'm looking around campus wondering how many of these women were making love last night.
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I love when things are advertised for $2
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I don't understand why there seems to be a tanning is dangerous article on just about every year. I think everyone knows that already.
Does this make sense to you? KU wishes to increase diversity, yet they triple and quadruple the tuition costs for out-of-state and international students. Now, how are we supposed to increase diversity if people have to pay a whole bunch of money that they don't have to go to school here?
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Here's a tip to the person who stays up until 2 in the morning doing his Business 240 homework: Read the book_
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I just wanted to respond to the person that wrote in and said cigarettes are good because they help you die faster. I just wanted to say my father passed away from cancer, and it is not anything to joke about, so you need to be a little more considerate when you print things like that.
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Audrey, if the large businesses are simply other competitors, what causes the unprecedented crime and the number of violence and mergers our country experiences daily? Coincidence? Talk about an economic no-brainer.
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All right, I just read the rest of Audrey's article, and uh, Economics 104 isn't this simplistic. It gets in more detail than that, because it's necessary. I can't believe this.
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This is in response to the guy that said Africans get stared at on campus. Well, I'm white, and I stare, but not because of difference. It's because some of those boys are fine.
Has anyone ever watched the sports show on the KU channel on channel 66? Who are these guys they get to do this? Are they just some gomers they pull off the street, because they really kind of suck. They can't speak proper English, and they never get their facts right. I think they should take auditions, because I would be way better, and the Kansan rules.
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Marion Washington gets the same salary as Roy Williams. What for, because she goes 0-16?
To the person who insulted the TAs, those people work really hard and go to school at the same time, and they're trying to help your education, and I guarantee they know more around that subject, way more than you do, so you just try to help them out as much as you can instead of talking stuff on them.
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Rock lady,we miss you. Please come back.
We can't stay here. This is bat country
Why when I come across the two of you are you always putting something in her ear?
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Please tell Meghan Bainum's friends to stop calling the Free for All complimenting her. She's really not that good.
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I just want to call and tell everybody it's Friday night, and we're sitting here listening to Insane Clown Posse and drinking whiskey out of Sonsic cups.
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