‘Moral maze’ tackles marriage
This week the BBC Radio 4 programme The Moral Maze addressed the issue of marriage: is support for permanent marriage the most secure foundation for children and a stable basis for a good society, or should we get used to many varieties of household arrangements, not prioritise marriage in the tax syatem, and make it easier to divorce”?
From the BBC summary:
[…] the number of unmarried couples living together in Britain has more than doubled in the last two decades, from 1.5 million in 1996 to 3.3 million in 2017. In that time, some may lament the fact that fewer people are getting married, but it is also the case that fewer people are getting divorced. It’s seldom easy to end a marriage, and there is now a campaign to ease the pain by introducing quicker and simpler ‘no-fault’ settlements. Such a move received the backing this week of Britain’s most senior judge Baroness Hale, who also believes co-habiting couples should have greater legal protection when their relationships break down. Her supporters say long-drawn-out divorces are more likely to have harmful consequences for children, while improving the legal status to non-married couples is a necessary step towards a fairer society. Her opponents say these measures would weaken the institution of marriage, which they see as an important public declaration by two people (whether of the same or opposite sex) promoting stable relationships, commitment and self-sacrifice.
The programme features contributions from Melanie Phillips, Caroline Farrow, Giled Fraser and Sir Paul Coleridge among others.
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