For decades now, the social sciences have provided clear and convincing evidence that not all family structures are equal. A marriage which is healthy and enduring enriches the couple, their children and the community around them. Alternative living arrangements, broken families and never formed families are not as beneficial as healthy marriages and they are frequently the cause of many of our social ills.

Marriage changes two people’s lives and society clearly benefits. Looking at the marriage vow, one sees that couples promise to remain faithful to one another and to support each other financially and emotionally. This mutual agreement to help each other removes a burden from society when spouses looks after one another, particularly in times of sickness and old age. Marriage also changes our behavior in ways that make both parties happier, healthier and better off financially.

Marriage yields significant dividends. Children of intact marriages tend to engage in risky behavior less frequently, do better in school and have better mental and physical health than children from broken or never formed marriages. Adults who are married tend to enjoy better mental and physical health and accumulate more wealth and engage in risky or illegal behavior less often then unmarried adults. Finally, our senior citizens enjoy better support from spouses and children in their later years if they remain married. Clearly, society does benefit by marriage and rightly rewards married couples for the stability they bring to society.

Our public policy must actively work to help couples choose and succeed in building strong marriages.

Public Policy Recommendations

Marriage Education
Incentives to encourage premarital education, marriage enrichment and marriage counseling should be established. These incentives can be in the form of tax credits or, in the case of pre-marital education, reduced waiting periods or marriage license fees.

Eliminate Barriers to Religious Counseling
Michigan must eliminate outdated language which places restrictions on counseling by clergy and religious bodies. Current law prohibits clergy who are not employed by a church from engaging in marriage and family counseling. Many clergy who are retired or between jobs have provided these services for many years and can still legally marry couples.

Marriage By Magistrates
Public officials who are authorized to marry couples should be required to provide premarital education or to provide premarital education information to couples prior to marriage. Public officials should officiate responsibly.

Define Objects of Matrimony
Require couples to submit written objects of matrimony to the official solemnizing their marriage and to the county clerk. Allow couples to include legally binding steps to restore objects of matrimony, such as marriage counseling, in marriages where one partner alleges that the objects of matrimony have been destroyed.

Family Impact Statement
A family impact statement should be prepared for all bills and resolutions which have been scheduled for a committee hearing if the legislation may have a significant impact on the formation, maintenance, and general well-being of the family. State agencies should also be required to prepare a family impact statement on new agency policies.

Eliminate Marriage Penalties
Michigan must continue to eliminate laws that create barriers to marriage and encourage cohabitation.

Public Policy Successes

Eliminate Marriage Penalties
Michigan must eliminate laws and local ordinances that create barriers to marriage. A good starting point was the elimination of provisions allowing local communities to terminate the pensions of police and firefighters' widow(er)s if they remarry.

Research

Current Activity

To view other important legislative issues that Michigan Family Forum is working on, visit our Legislative Update page.