Divorce As a Moral Issue Term Paper

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divorce inherently immoral? Does its morality depend on the presence of children in a marriage? Views vary on the ethical issue of divorce, for some believe marriage to be a scared institution sanctioned and governed by religious bodies, while others view it as purely a secular matter. If one or both of the married partners are unhappy, should divorce be an option? Or should the institution of marriage be preserved no matter what obstacles are in its path?

Laurence Houlgate quotes Rebecca West in the opening of his article: "divorce is nearly always an unspeakable calamity." Studies show that children do suffer dearly from the consequences of divorce. On several accounts, children bear the largest burden of the parents' faults. Despite arguments to the contrary, Houlgate cites ample evidence supporting the theory that children experience psychological and behavioral problems following a divorce. Many of these effects last for years. Long-term studies show that the detrimental effects of divorce on children include decreased performance in school and behavior problems.

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Based on these empirical findings, Houlgate created what he calls the Divorce Child-Harm Argument, or the DCH. The DCH is a logical ethical formula: If parents are obliged to treat their children well, and if divorce does indeed harm children, then it is morally wrong to divorce. Because divorce can wreak as much havoc as any physical or mental abuse, divorce is immoral. However, divorce in itself is not a form of abuse. Thus, it is difficult to prove the DCH, even as it makes logical sense.

In some cases, divorce may, however, be the moral choice. If one or both parents are abusive, divorce may be preferable to sustaining the marriage. But in cases where the parents merely argue and could benefit from counselling or introspection, there is no….....

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