The authorities in China have started sending “think again” letters to couples who apply for a divorce. This in response to the 21% increase in the divorce rate there from 2003 to 2004. Here’s the story about this new development from The Guardian.
I wish them luck, but I won’t hold my breath. In my practice, I have encountered thousands of couples who are ready to divorce. By the time they get to my office — and this is at least several days before they “apply” (file) to divorce — they’ve been through hell and back. Not once, not once in all those cases, have I had a couple decide not to divorce because somebody tried to talk them out of it.
I have had a handful of couples — perhaps 8 out of 3,000 — take advantage of Alabama’s required 30 day waiting period and dismiss their divorce case before the judge signs the decree. To my knowledge, however, all of those decisions came because the husband and the wife sat down together and agreed to give their marriage another try, not because they got pressure from someone else.