MAGA’s escalating 'war on divorce' exposes a broader attack on women

In a long list of red states — including Oklahoma, Louisiana, Nebraska and Texas — Republican state lawmakers have been pushing for an end to no-fault divorce. The movement gained momentum before Donald Trump's return to the White House, with many Republicans and evangelical Christian fundamentalists attacking former President Joe Biden an anti-family even though he's a devout Catholic. The movement has only escalated during Trump's second presidency. And according to the UK-based i Paper, this "war on divorce" exposes a much broader agenda of MAGA Republicans and the Religious Right.

Journalist Zing Tsjeng, in the i Paper, explains, "Right-wing commentators like Daily Wire host Matt Walsh have previously shared support for an end to no-fault divorce, while podcasters Tim Pool and Steven Crowder argue that it creates a 'raw deal' for men. Now-Vice President JD Vance argued on his 2021 Senate campaign trail that it let people 'shift spouses like they change their underwear,' although, he hasn't made any public comments on this since. House Speaker Mike Johnson has campaigned against it for years and once said that he holds it partly responsible for creating an 'amoral society' that leads young people to 'go into their schoolhouse and open fire on their classmates.'"

Tsjeng continues, "This isn't all talk from politicians and conservative blowhards, either. There is legislative momentum building in red states like Texas, Iowa and Louisiana, which are all attempting to scale back no-fault divorce."

Tsjeng stresses that no-fault divorce hasn't had the negative effects being cited by MAGA Republicans and religious fundamentalists, as "the U.S. divorce rate has been on a downward trajectory since 1980."

According to Texas-based divorce lawyer Rhea Stevens, "People are being convinced that if you make divorce harder, people will just work harder at their marriages and that'll make it work. Historically, that's not accurate."

Opponents of no-fault divorce, according to Tsjeng, are thinking in much broader terms than just divorce itself.

"For religious conservatives and advocates of so-called traditional family values," Tsjeng writes, "marriage is a sacred act. Energized by Donald Trump's second White House term and the presence of militant Christians like U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in his administration, they are mobilizing to defend marriage by attempting to roll back no-fault divorce … Given all this, you could describe the movement to end no-fault divorce as hypocrisy of the highest order, but it all goes hand in hand with the White House's pronatalist agenda, which has already seen it temporarily defund abortion providers Planned Parenthood."

Emily Martin, chief program officer for the National Women's Law Center, told the i Paper, "While the Trump administration may claim to be deeply concerned about declining fertility rates, what it is really concerned about is control. The rise of women's freedom, economic security and political power fuels our economy and makes this country great — but it also threatens men who view women's progress as a challenge to their authority."

Stevens argues that opponents of no-fault divorce aren't offering any real solutions for troubled marriages.

The Texas-based divorce lawyer told the i Paper, "If we want to help people stay married, then we need to find ways to give them support throughout — fixing financial issues, childcare or spousal leave for pregnancies. If we want to save relationships, we need to start before they're broken."