Cheryl on the Web

About the small things in life that seem oh so big

Marriage subscription?

Posted in Thoughtful by Cheryl on 19 September 2007

Just when you thought you’d heard it all: a German politician proposed today that marriage not be forever - just for 7 years. After that, just like renewing your newspaper subscription, you could choose to renew your marriage subscription (each renewal would last 7 years) - or not. The purported reason for this arrangement is that it would reduce the number of divorces. (Talk about playing with statistics; if that wouldn’t be manipulation, then I don’t know what is.) Seems to me this could, in particular, motivate those who have trouble remembering their anniversary to be more faithful going forward; miss your 7th or your 14th anniversary (etc.) and before you know it, you’re a bachelor!

Thank goodness the German citizens aren’t any more enthusiastic about this proposal than I am. Comments made on the news were thinks like “Ridiculous” and “Not realistic”. And naturally, the Catholic church is against the concept as well.

Did I mention that the politician who proposed this is divorced? Twice?