Former Spouse’s Share of Medical Degree’s Rewards

If Maureen Sullivan truly resents the media’s sensationalizing the case concerning her husband and his ex-wife (Letters, Jan. 27), she probably ought not jump in with her 2 cents worth of advice.

It’s very easy to be self-righteous when you’ve found a job where “terrific opportunity for advancement!” means marrying the boss, as Maureen Sullivan did. It’s not so easy when you are a single parent with minimal job skills or an interrupted career trying to get by with inadequate child support payments and making 59 cents to the dollar of your male counterpart.

A woman who supports her husband through medical school (or a similar advanced program) is hardly living in a “state of concubinage.”

In fact, this case came about because Mrs. Sullivan supported Mr. Sullivan in his pursuit of a medical degree. The financial benefits of that degree are accrued only in the long term.

The Sullivan case is an attempt to mitigate the injustice done to the supporting spouse when the partner says, in effect, “I got mine. Goodby.”

The concept of defining a higher education as an “investment” is morally, ethically, intellectually and judicially sound and reasonable. If such an investment is a joint one, then both parties are entitled to the rewards of the investment. If one spouse at some point wants to end the joint endeavor, he should provide to the ex-spouse what was provided to him.

If he was supported through a number of years of medical school, he should split his paycheck with the ex-spouse for the same number of years. She or he then could pursue an education for herself or further her career.

Our judicial system functions in a notoriously slow and ponderous manner. Historically, this has been particularly true in matters of equal rights. It will not be long before the courts validate the concept of one spouse’s debt to the other.

Be a gracious winner, Mrs. Sullivan. There may come a time when you are not so fortunate.

S. SHUFF

Irvine