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Colombia to offer one-hour divorces

Colombia to offer one-hour divorces

Tuesday, September 27, 2005; Posted: 12:17 p.m. EDT (16:17 GMT)

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Colombia Divorce

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- A new Colombian law would allow married couples to untie the knot in as little as one hour and for a mere $15, bypassing costly lawyer fees, legal hurdles and the prolonged delays most unhappy couples can expect before a divorce.

The measure, passed by Congress in July, is expected to be signed into law by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe within coming weeks, Uribe's office said Monday.

"The aim is to make life easier for Colombians," Manuel Cuello, superintendent of the National Registrar, said. "Getting divorced should not be such a bureaucratic ordeal."

The proposal was a response to the mounting backlog of divorce cases that are tying up the courts, Cuello said. More than 1 million couples are waiting to have their cases settled.

Under the new law, couples without minor children would no longer need to appear before a judge, but can instead head to their local registrar office with a jointly signed declaration that would then be stamped by an official within one hour. Both parties must agree to the divorce.

A separate declaration must be drawn up spelling out any division of assets. For couples with children, custody plans must be explained to a family affairs official who would then issue a certificate authorizing the divorce or send the case to the courts.

The measure would apply only to Colombians, and to foreigners married to Colombians if the wedding took place in Colombia, the national registrar's office said.

Catholic Church officials object, insisting the measure will only encourage couples to resort to divorce rather than work out their differences.

"It will precipitate the deterioration of the family," said Monsignor Juan Vicente Cordoba, auxiliary bishop of the northern city of Bucaramanga. "We will end up with a more unstable society and unstable children. Marriage vows should not be taken lightly."

Cuello said the pending law has generated considerable interest. "We have had hundreds of impatient couples asking to be divorced at notary offices, but we have to explain that there are still some legal procedures to be completed before the measure takes effect," he said.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

By viewpoint on Sep 27, 2005, 11:05 in Friendly Talkzone.

DonkeyDust says on Sep 27, 2005, 11:39:

Responsibilidad. Say you get married in haste,, like after 6 months of courting. Are you financially responsible for the lady and her children until they finish university?

Yo no necesariamente acuerdo con todo yo escrito. Especialmente despues tomo. (I don't necassirily agree with everything I say). Is the Spanish intelligable?

Latitudes attitudes & platitudes.

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Crazy4Cali says on Sep 27, 2005, 13:51:

Do you think... Do you think they'll set up a drive-thru window?

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gat says on Sep 27, 2005, 16:24:

divorce rate It will interesting to see what this does to the divorce rate in Colombia. As another post here pointed out, Colombia has the second lowest divorce rate in the world.

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Crazy4Cali says on Sep 27, 2005, 18:00:

stats Bogota has between 7 and 8 million.
Colombia has almost 43 million according to the CIA

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Gator says on Sep 28, 2005, 07:33:

I Would Be Careful... to see how this plays out with the Department of State and Immigration.

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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Tinto (Moderator) says on Sep 28, 2005, 08:33:

Sorry, I only do kidnappings, murders and the occasional economic stat. ;-)

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utopiacowboy says on Sep 28, 2005, 12:32:

You're right, GIB. I know of several myself in that situation.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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torbog says on Sep 28, 2005, 12:57:

That is nothing Last time I checked, when the new police code was approved for Bogota, it immediatelly made bigamy a contravention instead of a crime. This means, that if you commit bigamy you just pay a fine. I don't know if they fixed that problem.

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Sep 28, 2005, 13:03:

one hour divorce? that is what I call service. jeje

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Sep 29, 2005, 03:02:

don't be so cheap GIB. fries? I want Champagne ;-)

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Sep 29, 2005, 11:27:

no,no dear, dont put ice on champagne, better chilled, you will lose the taste if you put ice and the bubbles will disapeard :-(.

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Sep 29, 2005, 11:37:

Talking seriously now, i dont agree with those quick divorce, it's true what that priest said " Marriage vows should not be taken lightly."

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Crazy4Cali says on Sep 29, 2005, 14:29:

Personally (and seriously) I think marriage should be both harder to get into and harder to get out of. I am getting ready to get my marriage license and in Washington state, all you need is $60 and a form. No ID, no blood test, no nuthin'!!! It's harder to go into business with someone than it is to get married. Heck you need more qualifications to drive a car!

At least with the visa process, there was a lot of work required and time to think about whether this is really the right thing to do (it is, BTW :). But without that, I could just show up to the courthouse with my marriage license (obtained more then 3 days prior) and boom! that's it.

But boy, try and get out of that contract.....

While I think making it harder to get into is a good idea, in the meantime, if it's going to be easy in, it should be easy out.

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viewpoint says on Sep 29, 2005, 14:43:

The only thing wrong with marriage is that there should be a term to it. In other words you should be able to pick the length of the term like 3,5,10 or 20 years. Then you could have an option to extend the marriage for another mutually acceptable term.

C4C, Washington state is one of the worst states to get divorced in. The WA state liberal judges will eat you alive in that community property state.

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Sep 29, 2005, 14:44:

I agree with you C4C, so if it easy to get out people are not going to start getting married for the right reason. we are all going vegas style with an impressionist Elvis Presley as a priest

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Crazy4Cali says on Sep 29, 2005, 15:25:

Divorce in Wa. St. Tell me about it.

It took 5 years to get out from under my Washington St. divorce. At least I got the kids (much more important than the money.)

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viewpoint says on Sep 29, 2005, 16:59:

I stood before a Judge in Kin I stood before a woman Judge in a King County courtroom (Seattle) and an ex-wife seeking $11,400 per month of child support (two children) while I was paying $2,000 per month. The woman Judge (god bless her) said that it didn't matter if I was Bill Gates child support is not meant to be spousal support and awarded $2,000 per month which was exactly what I was paying.

When my ex-wife didn't get the child support she was seeking she brought both of my sons to live with me. Thank god !!!

You are better off in Arizona than Washington.

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CaryGrant says on Sep 29, 2005, 17:52:

viewpoint 11,400 per month? Before elmo gets a chance, I'd like to propose. I'll bring a Canadian beaver to our marriage, but not much else. And I'll have to get a one-hour divorce from my Colombian wife. But hey, we're talking good money here...

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