Key female legislators are attempting to kill California Senate Bill 1015. This is setting up a gender war in the state capitol.

The bill would require the redaction of financial and other private information if requested by either spouse.

Liberal women’s advocacy groups, such as the National Organization for Women, are opposing the bill on the grounds that keeping divorce records private will make it difficult to assess whether women are being treated fairly in court.

Anyone looking at today’s family courts should be extremely skeptical of such a claim. If anything, the pattern of divorce awards is skewed in favor of the female…even in states that passed the Equal Rights Amendment.

Let’s call the opposition what it really is…a recognition that a weapon currently abused by some women in divorces is about to be neutralized by this bill. All a spouse needs to do now is to threaten exposure of embarrassing business or other dealings in divorce pleadings to obtain a better settlement. In some cases, the information is disclosed simply as a means to publicly demean or destroy the other spouse because the marriage is ending.

Given the history of abusing this information for financial gain and personal attacks, it is time for the records to be redacted at the request of either spouse. One hopes that similar legislation is passed in all states or by Congress as federal legislation.

However, the politically correct composition of the state General Assembly makes the viability of this particular legislation suspect. It would be a shame if those who routinely abuse the legal system are able to gut or kill this worthwhile bill.
The Sacramento Bee has more information.

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