A new Massachusetts bill will make divorcing couples require permission from a judge before having sex. State Senator Richard Ross has proposed a new bill, legislation S787, which forbids make-up sex or even a romantic dinner for couples with children who have separated.

Senator Ross is seeking to amend the current divorce law in Massachusetts because of a voter who experienced a terrible divorce; he claims not to actually support the bill. Currently the state law has a 120 day waiting period for an uncontested no-fault divorce.

Many people cannot imagine such restrictions. Nothing would ruin the mood like having to seek out a judge’s approval before sleeping with a partner. Should the S787 legislation pass this is just what divorcing couples will have to do, if they have children. The new law says no sex before divorce.

Not only will spouses, with children, who are on the brink of divorce need permission for sex inside their marital home but any type of romantic date void of permission will be forbidden. The proposed bill actually bans any type of romantic gestures between the divorcing parents and another party which has not been pre-approved by a judge.

On Thursday the bill received a three-month extension for consideration. This means it could move forward at any time between now and June 30.

Many believe this bill to be cruel and costly to enforce because it poses a threat to one’s personal freedom and a fiscal issue for taxpayers. Others have questioned how the bill would be enforced and how violators would be punished.

The ongoing argument has been neither politicians nor judges should own the right to tell another consenting adult whether they can or cannot have sex. People have said this bill violates their human and constitutional rights and should have never been filed.

Perhaps this bill is designed to protect the children who are involved. Studies have shown that divorce tends to affect most children in the beginning stages but when parents handle the process correctly children are more likely to recover fairly quickly.

A study initiated by a psychologist from the University of Virginia, E. Mavis Hetherington, found that most children experience negative effects on a short-term basis. In the beginning they tend to have anger and anxiety due to the shock and disbelief; typically these reactions either disappear or at least diminish by the end of the second year. There are some children who suffer longer but that seems to be the minority.

Researchers have consistently found that the children with the poorest adjustment during and after divorce are those who are surrounded by high levels of parental conflict. This confirms the need for parents to work together for the sake of their children.

One thing is certain; there is nothing that disrupts the mood for a romantic evening like the need for permission to cap off the evening with sex. If State Senator Richard J. Ross passes his proposed bill this is exactly what many couples headed for divorce, with children, will experience.

By: Cherese Jackson (Virginia)

Sources:

Daily Mail

Think Progress

Scientific American

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