A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Delaware Lawmakers Clean Up Divorce Law

creative commons

DOVER, Del. (AP) - The state Senate has given final legislative approval to a bill removing homosexuality from the definition of misconduct that would serve as grounds for divorce.

The legislation, which was approved unanimously on Thursday, strikes both "homosexuality" and "lesbianism" from the definition of marital misconduct.

The measure now goes to Democratic Gov. Jack Markell, who signed legislation in 2013 legally recognizing same-sex marriage in Delaware.

The divorce law defines marital misconduct as behavior by a spouse so destructive that a person filing for divorce could not reasonably be expected to continue in the relationship.

Other examples of such misconduct include adultery, bigamy, a criminal conviction that could result in imprisonment for a year or more, habitual drinking or drug use, and contracting a sexually transmitted disease.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.