30-01-2025
Divorce process could be changed in Indiana House Bill 1684
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) — Indiana state representatives are meeting at the General Assembly discussing hundreds of bills, one of which could make it harder for Hoosiers to file for divorce if you have children.
House Bill 1684, also known as the Irretrievable Breakdown of Marriage, meaning a person must provide proof using a witness as to why they should be granted a divorce.
The Indiana General Assembly is discussing approving or killing the bill.
Gina Gist, the Executive Director of Albion Fellows Bacon Center, says it could do more harm than good, noting domestic violence could be the main concern.
'A lot of domestic violence victims don't tell anybody what's happening when they seek services from us,' says Gist. 'They may be the most outgoing, the most friendly well respected person outside of the family and then in the family they're totally different person.'
The bill states a person would have a witness to testify or show cause as to why a dissolution of marriage should be granted.
'Making them tell other people when they may be embarrassed, they may be afraid,' says Gist. Is this going to jeopardize my job you know is DCS going to come in and take my kids if I share with the courts that I'm being abused?'
Gist says this could also effect children in a potentially toxic household, thinking this is normal.
'They're learning, that is that love, sometimes constitutes abuse that when somebody gets angry or somebody gets mad, we're just having a bad day,' says Gist. 'They take it out on the other person so my making these family stay together just for the children's sake is teaching those children that this is normal.'
The last action from the Indiana General Assembly's website shows its first reading was on January 21. The bill was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
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