We're coming up on the one-year anniversary of the date when no-fault, uncontested divorce became available in all 50 states. That benchmark, however, does not mean that getting a divorce is necessarily an easy task. Every state, including Pennsylvania, has its own set of rules.

There is a southern state, for example, where its Supreme Court has said that couples seeking a no-fault divorce have to live apart for one year before either spouse can attempt to seek monetary support. There's no way to seek any form of interim support.

While that may satisfy those who hold to the view that the institution of marriage needs protection from erosion because of divorce, it does little for the adult individuals who have come to a rational decision to call their union quits. There is, for example, the matter of a couple in South Carolina, where this hurdle exists.

The woman, seeking a no-fault divorce from her husband of 30 years, was denied spousal support as she sought her divorce because the two were still living in the same house. But she had been a homemaker for most of those married years. Her husband had control of family assets and she couldn't afford to move out. They slept in separate rooms; led separate lives; but financially she was stuck.

Those familiar with family law know this is common. But in some states, including Pennsylvania, couples are allowed to work out terms of support ahead of time, so they can move out and get on with their lives, and rightly so.

Source: Independent Mail, "Divorce should be hard, but should not be impossible," Sept. 23, 2011