A couple weeks ago we discussed a proposal by a Colorado state senator that would have required a "cooling off" period for couples intending to file for divorce. Citing "extraordinary" feedback, the lawmaker has since elected to do away with the bill.

The measure would have required couples seeking a divorce to complete six hours of class instruction on how divorce affects children, along with an eight-month waiting period. The bill only applied to parents of underage children and provided some exceptions, such as in cases of sexual abuse.

But the senator conceded that in his 10 years in office, no other bill has generated more responses, presumably negative ones. He said he realized trying to get the bill passed under such strong opposition would take more time and deliberation than the legislative session would allow.

The bill isn't the first the senator has proposed with the understanding it wasn't likely to pass. He said sometimes the debate over highly controversial bills can change opinions and bring positive change. But it's also not the first time a bill like this has been floated to the state Senate. About 10 years ago another Republican senator proposed a similar bill, but it was killed by fellow party members.

The senator maintains, however, that he remains committed to looking for ways to address the problem of divorce. When he introduced the measure, he said it was simply too easy for people to quickly bail out of a marriage before giving it a fighting chance. Whether or not that's true, many who opposed the measure said it's not the job of a government agency to decide whether a couple should divorce or stay together.

Source: Denver Post, "Colorado state Sen. Lundberg nixes proposal to delay divorces amid 'extraordinary' feedback," Lynn Bartels, Jan. 7, 2012