A TikToker made a viral video warning Texas women to avoid tying the knot, at least from a legal standpoint, due to the state’s conservative push for the elimination of no-fault divorce. The viral video comes after Steven Crowder, a popular right-wing podcaster in Texas, highlighted his opinions on why he felt the law should be changed after his wife filed for a divorce.
What is a no-fault divorce?
No-fault divorce laws allow either party to walk away from an unhappy marriage without having to prove abuse, infidelity, or other misconduct in court. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have no-fault divorce laws. However, conservative politicians in multiple states, including Texas, have begun a push to repeal them.
Last year, the Republican Party of Texas added language to its platform calling for an end to no-fault divorce, according to Rolling Stone. The party’s platform states, “We urge the Legislature to rescind unilateral no-fault divorce laws, to support covenant marriage, and to pass legislation extending the period of time in which a divorce may occur to six months after the date of filing for divorce.”
Crowder called out the law on Tuesday, May 2, after saying his divorce was “completely permitted” in Texas. Days after he announced he and his wife had separated, a 2021 video emerged of the far-right podcaster berating his wife, eight months pregnant at the time with the couple’s twins, for her failure to do “wifely things.”
TikToker warns women in Texas
With the possibility of no-fault divorce laws changing in conservative states, TikToker Kimberly Stover advised unwed women to not get married legally. More than two-thirds of all heterosexual divorces in the U.S. are initiated by women, according to the American Sociological Association.
In the viral clip, she said, “Have a ceremony. Have a commitment with your partner. Have a nice wedding … but do not trap yourselves into the confines of the law with divorce.” The clip received more than 646,000 views and over 115,000 likes as of Friday, May 5.
“They [Texas GOP] are not going to stop at marginalized groups. They are going to go after women, eventually men, but right now they’re going after women,” Stover said. “Banning no-fault divorce is the most ridiculous, fascist thing I’ve ever seen. It’s another way to trap women. It’s another way to control women.”
The Republican Party of Louisiana is considering recommending the ban, while Nebraska Republicans have said only childless couples should be able to get no-fault divorces.
Source: MySanAntonio
