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State House Votes Down Unilateral No-fault Divorce Proposal

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The state House has shot down a proposal that would have allowed unilateral no-fault divorce in South Dakota.

The House voted 44-25 against the plan, which advocates have said would make it easier for domestic violence victims to escape abusive marriages.

Democratic Rep. Ray Ring of Vermillion says his measure would allow one spouse to get a divorce without the consent of the other spouse.

Ring says his intent was to allow victims in abusive situations to leave a marriage without having to testify in court in front of their abusers.

Opponents have argued that lawmakers shouldn’t make it easier to divorce.

Republican Rep. Roger Hunt of Brandon says making it easier to obtain a divorce weakens the foundation that South Dakota was founded on.