Arkansas Governor Promotes Covenant Marriage

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, November 9, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is promoting “Covenant Marriage” by converting his own traditional marriage to a covenant type by joining 1,000 other couples in a mass ceremony planned for Valentine’s Day 2005.  Covenant Marriages were enacted in the state in 2001, to foster renewed commitment to lasting marriages. They require much more stringent criteria for divorce. Adultery, felony, abuse, or long periods of separation are conditions. Couples must also certify that they have attended approved pre-marriage counselling before taking a covenant vow. Covenant Marriages are also recognized in the states of Louisiana and Arizona.  The Arkansas marriage rate is nearly double that of the US—but it also has one of the country’s highest divorce rates, at 6.5 per 1,000 population, compared to a 4.2 per 1,000 national average.  Huckabee pointed out that, since its inception in 2001, only 400 couples have opted for Covenant Marriage, versus the 40,000 couples who are normally married there each year.  For more information on Covenant Marriage, visit:  https://www.divorcereform.org/cov.html   See local coverage:  https://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,137995,00.html   tv