Missouri lawmaker calls to allow divorce during pregnancy. Why can’t it happen there already?

By GEOFF MULVIHILL
Associated Press

Judges some places don’t grant divorces when one of the parties is pregnant — and one Missouri lawmaker is trying to change that, at least in her state. For state Rep. Ashley Aune and others, the practice is an antiquated way to control women and possibly trap them in abusive marriages. Some divorce lawyers say the practice serves largely to prevent divorce cases to be litigated a second time after a child is born. The situation is similar in at least some other states, though it’s a practice by judges rather than a requirement spelled out in state laws.