Think First, Then Wed

To get a driver’s license you must demonstrate that you can see what you’re getting into, know the rules of the road and have the potential to handle whatever curves and slippery spots lie ahead.

Why shouldn’t people seeking a marriage license be similarly prepared?

That’s the thinking behind a bill introduced in the state Legislature by Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara). It would require that each person seeking a marriage license also receive a fact sheet on the rights and responsibilities of marriage. Among the issues covered would be property rights, domestic violence, parents’ rights and responsibilities to their children, and spousal or child support obligations--in case things don’t work out.

Jackson, newly arrived in the Assembly this term, brought this idea with her from years in family-law practice. “I’ve done a lot of marital dissolution work,” she says, “and I’ve been consistently astonished at the total lack of understanding and appreciation that people have for their legal rights and obligations.”

The bill--AB 889--has passed the Assembly and is to be debated in the Senate. Opponents fear that the fact sheet could scare couples right out of the marrying mood. To that, we say great. Better to think about the serious business of matrimony before the knot is tied, assets pooled and children born.