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Pack Your Bags Now. Germany Proposes Seven-Year Limit on Marriages
I know what you are thinking. Seven years is still eternity by the standards of some. It is still a long time to stay with someone you married in Vegas intoxicated. Either way, restricting marriages to only seven years sounds like the best idea the 21st century has put on the table so far. Followed closely by the iPod, of course.
Gabriele Pauli, a German politician, has put the temporary marriage issue on her agenda. This is how it works: "You will only commit for a fixed period and will actively have to renew your vows if you still want to continue," she explains. If they don't want to continue, there is no need for divorce.
Now, somebody needs to figure out what to do with children born into temporary marriages. Do I hear temporary child rental?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 13)
Bobby Sep 25th 2007 3:23PM
Looks like someone's looking for a way out of her marriage.
Chris Sep 26th 2007 9:30AM
Talk about broken homes. This is the dumbest idea yet. Why committ to marriage if you can't committ longer than seven years???
Amy Sep 28th 2007 6:09AM
Has to be one of the worst ideas I've ever heard. Even if it wasn't completely morally wrong, I can only imagine how the children will all deal with this.. Can you even imagine how many marriages a person could go through in a lifetime??
Nothing like planning to fail.
Jeff Sep 28th 2007 6:10AM
I guess they'll change to vows to "...till our expiration date do us part." and "...to be your temporarily wedded wife..."
Laura Sep 28th 2007 6:40AM
This is totally ridiculous ...Only a fool could come up with something like this ...Marriage is a sacred vow ...sounds like someone needs some better morals or just get out of their marriage themselves...Just do it don't let the people thats been married for longer than that suffer at your grief...
Laura Sep 28th 2007 6:33AM
This isn't not morally wrong its ridiculous ...whomever came up with this ideal needs to go to a marriage counselor or just get a divorce and not make everyone else suffer..
Sam Sep 28th 2007 6:51AM
In a way I am ok with this. Ancient pagans did something a lot like it, except it was a year long contract. It seemed to have worked out well then. Admittedly, I would stick with whomever I possibly marry until one of us thought it wasn't working. Still, I don't think this is a bad idea. People aren't really thinking anymore on who they marry. This just helps a little bit.
Mary Beth Sep 28th 2007 6:58AM
Fabulous idea! I say BRAVO!
dan Sep 28th 2007 6:57AM
All I can say is... 60% divorce rate. Marriage should be illegal.
Mary Beth Sep 28th 2007 6:57AM
Fabulous idea- I say BRAVO!!!! No, I didn't get married on a drunken night in Vegas either. I would have had two chances to get out?? OMG, I am going to Germany!!!!
dorne tridenti Sep 28th 2007 7:00AM
THIS IS THE BEST IDEA YET. IF THEY MAKE IT SEVEN YEARS, THATS WHEN THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH COMES. LETS STOP PAYING OUTRAGEOUS LEGAL FEES AND GO WITH THE FLOW. ITS WONDERFULL
Shelly Sep 28th 2007 7:05AM
Sounds perfect to me. Unless you have an extravagant wedding, it costs so little to get into and so much to get out of. Being married for an eternity is a great thing, but divorce will always be around. In a time when divorce proceedings are so prevalent, make it a little easier on everyone. Divorce shouldn't cost more to get out of than into.
Bobby Sep 28th 2007 7:07AM
Pauli (the politician who made that comment) picked the idea up from a German stand up comic. She blabbered the idea in the public to just get in the news. Her party is about to throw her out. She is in the conservative party. She, herself, is divorced twice and has done a S&M photo shoot. She needs to find a ultra liberal party who will take her. I don't think anyone wants her right now. She is just trouble.
Shanon Sep 28th 2007 7:15AM
Ask my friends...
I thought of this years ago!
"Man of my dreams" turned out being a real loser.
And when I filed for divorce I learned this would be his third divorce and guess who paid for all three of his divorces?
You guessed it the "little women."
I think divorce when there's no children or property should just quietly and freely go away!
Edward Brown Sep 28th 2007 7:22AM
Given the fact that 50% of marriages end in divorce and the "spark" seems to dim around the 7th year,the idea isn't totally preposterous.
Prior to the 20th century, marriage was a business proposition. Also, the institution is a contractual agreement as a means of bringing stability to society. When there is a "breakdown" in the institution, there has to be a renegotiation or re-thinking of the idea.
Many couples repeat their vows after being married for years. What if the marriage has been over for the last 10 years and now you're celebrating your 25th year in misery?
Contrary to popular belief, marriage is a social phenomenon. When we decided to begin marrying for love over familial and societal advancement, we inspired our current conditions for its failure and success. We can't have it both ways...
Leroy Sep 28th 2007 7:20AM
where do I sign?
KMarks Sep 28th 2007 7:22AM
Duh!then why get married at all? Seems to me that is simply co-habitation with a license to do so. Marriage is supposed to be a sacred vow taken between two people and a commitment until you are separated by death. What kind of commitment is the "until I don't feel like it anymore" commitment? Sometimes when I think about God I wonder if He doesn't get tired of shaking His head at us and wondering why He ever bothered! LOL
Joanne Sep 28th 2007 7:31AM
I believe you should put your heart and soul into any committment, and after 21 years of marriage, I would sign again on the dotted line. But when I first got my marriage license, my girlfriend asked where the expiration date was. Every other license had one, why not this one. And after watching so many friends going thru divorce, the only ones who get make out on the deal is the lawyers. So my statement would be expiration date no, but a cap on how much a lawyer will get on a possible divorce, absolutely!
Tami Sep 28th 2007 7:35AM
Yet another
Tami Sep 28th 2007 7:38AM
Yet another attack on marriage. Not a surprise that this comes from a European nation, where secularism has become the norm. This is a slap in God's face. Folks in the U.S.- don't dream of it. It'll never happen here, at least not in our lifetime. There is still a fair amount of honor left in our voters and we'll never go for this filth.