The Christian Institute has called on the Northern Ireland Executive to refrain from further liberalising divorce laws.
The Department of Finance is currently running a consultation on reforming divorce law in such a way that would end fault-based grounds and reduce separation periods.
Such reforms have already taken place in England and Wales, where prior to 2022 divorces could only be granted in cases of adultery or unreasonable behaviour, or if the couple had been separated for two years with consent or five years with consent.
Pro-marriage campaigners were divided on the issue, with the Marriage Foundation supporting the change as a way of removing blame and acrimony from the system. The group pointed to ONS figures that showed little change in divorce rates following the change, albeit more of the divorces did take advantage of the liberalised rules.
The Coalition for Marriage disagreed, however, arguing that the normalisation of fast track, no-fault divorces was likely to lead to higher divorce rates in future years.
James Kennedy, Northern Ireland Policy Officer at The Christian Institute, warned against following the example of England and Wales.
“The Executive should be working to strengthen marriage, not accelerate its breakdown," he said.
"Marriage is a lifelong commitment that provides the strongest foundation for children, families, and communities. But making divorce quicker gives the impression that wedding vows no longer matter.
“Our MLAs risk sending the message that marriage is disposable, at the very moment society most needs its stability.
"If the law makes it easier to walk away, more people will walk away. Instead, wherever possible we should be encouraging couples to work through difficulties and offering support to help marriages recover and grow.”
The Christian Institute pointed to evidence that stable marriage is good not only for the couple involved, but for children and society as a whole.
“When families are stable, children are more secure, outcomes improve, and communities flourish. The Government should be investing in policies that promote marriage, rather than hasten its breakdown," Mr Kennedy continued.
“This is about more than legal process, it’s about what kind of society we want to be. If we want to build a culture that values commitment, responsibility, and long-term care, we need laws that uphold those ideals, not weaken them.”
