Catholic Medical Quarterly Volume 71(4) November 2021
Book Review
Marriage & Divorce in the Liberal Imagination
by Colin Hart Published Family Education Trust
Reviewed
by Dr Pravin Thavasathan
This
proved to be a very helpful and important read. Those of us who have
dealings with mental health issues in young people will recognise so much
that is stated here: there is a clear correlation between mental
ill-health and family dysfunction. Young people who have experienced
family breakdown are more likely to develop emotional and behavioural
problems. Marriage is therefore not a private matter: the stability that
marriage is meant to provide is in the public interest. When he talks
about marriage, the author is referring to a union of one man and one
woman.
Unfortunately, we have become emotivists. Marriage is seen as a celebration of love. If this is so, then it goes without saying that three or more people who love each other can also enter into an arrangement known as "marriage." And when love dies, the marriage dies with it. The author notes that it is not the role of governments to monitor love. But it is very much in the interest of governments to promote stable marriages.
The
author notes that the former Soviet Union was extremely hostile towards
marriage and the family. A spirit of free love was encouraged. Eventually,
the political leaders had to put an end to this "anarchist view of
marriage." It was proving too costly. We in the West have not learned from
the Soviet experience: Sir James Munby, former President of the Family
Division of the High Court, apparently welcomes the end of the nuclear
family. As the author puts it, it "sounds as though Sir James would have
liked to live in Soviet Russia!"
The author examines the three myths about marriage: you are better off after divorce, the law does not influence behaviour and the law cannot be used to restrict divorce. In each case, the author puts forward a strong case to argue otherwise.
This superb booklet makes it very clear that we should not put our trust in princes. At least, not in Sir James Munby and his kind. It is up to us to promote a true understanding of marriage. And we can do this by supporting organisations like the Family Education Trust.