Colombia approves a reform that allows “express divorce”

( Spanish) – The Congress of Colombia finalized this Tuesday a reform that allows divorce by unilateral decision, also known as “express divorce.” The measure, approved this Tuesday afternoon by the House of Representatives and previously endorsed by the Senate, will go to conciliation and will be sent to President Gustavo Petro for sanction, as reported in a statement.

The reform modifies the Civil Code to establish as a new cause for divorce that a person simply no longer wants to continue with their marriage, said representative Julio César Triana, member of the Radical Change party and promoter of the proposal.

With this change, for a divorce to proceed, it will no longer be necessary for the two people to agree or for the person requesting to end the marriage to argue specific causes, Triana explained. The applicant may go on his or her own with a judge or a notary, he added.

Until now, article 154 of the Civil Code of Colombia contemplated nine grounds for divorce, among them, that one of the spouses had extramarital sexual relations, that they did not comply with their legal duties, outrages or cruel treatment, drunkenness or habitual consumption. of narcotics and the separation of bodies that has lasted for more than two years.

For Triana, adding to these causes the desire to no longer be with a person is not only necessary, but will also reduce domestic violence without affecting children or acquired rights.

“When two people cannot live together because one of them no longer feels anything for the other, what is born is violence and confrontation,” said the legislator.

In the House of Representatives, the reform was approved with 89 votes in favor and 11 against.

One of the latter was from legislator Luis Miguel López, of the Conservative Party, who regretted the decision with the argument that marriage is an institution that must be “protected.”

“Unilateral, express divorce, what it does is somehow make marriage disposable,” he said.