Abortion, education, drugs and other social issues are some culprits
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The expression goes, "a house divided against itself cannot stand." Perhaps that's why some family law attorneys are seeing a spike in divorces this election cycle.
A relatively new type of battle has emerged as politics becomes a fiercely divisive influence — one that pits spouses against each other, not over financial disputes or infidelity, but over the fraught terrain of ideological differences. With contention strengthening each election cycle, now partisan politics are increasingly cited as irreconcilable differences in relationships and are becoming central to co-parenting debates.
"I’m often hearing from my clients of the constant strife and differences in political viewpoints, a disagreement in how to parent or a major misalignment on the future direction of their children's life. The parenting perspectives of liberal v. conservative, structured v. unstructured, and political beliefs do come out when dealing with co-parenting issues," Yonatan Levoritz, a Washington, D.C.-based family attorney and founder of Levoritz Law Firm, said in a press release.
In a Monday interview with Fox News Digital, Levoritz noted a surge in separations rooted in political discord over the past three election cycles. He observed that as political ideologies grow further ingrained in societal values, polarizing issues such as abortion, drugs and sexuality are breaking down families.
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Some D.C.-area attorneys have reported an uptick in divorces and custody battles motivated by political divides. (iStock)
"As [people] become more polarized, it's very difficult because their positions become more entrenched," he said.
"Therefore, what's happening is that they're basically digging themselves into holes in litigation with an unwillingness to compromise… You have to compromise because you can't get 100% of what you want in most cases," he continued.
The gridlock is leading to a growing number of people stubbornly declining what's negotiated, and demanding total control as they accuse the other party of an inability to make good decisions, he explained.
Levoritz's experience isn't isolated either. Cheryl New, a family law attorney based in Bethesda, Maryland, has seen an unprecedented number of divorces related to ideological differences compared to other points in her 35-year career, according to an Axios report from July.
"[It's no longer] 'Who do you want for president?' It branches into many other areas of how you have to relate to your spouse," she said.
Consider a conservative father and a liberal mother, divided on whether to allow their transgender child to openly express their espoused gender identity or, perhaps, a conservative mother and a liberal father disagreeing on the prospect of their sixteen-year-old daughter terminating an unplanned pregnancy.
"A lot of the divorces are being caused by hot-button issues like abortion. I've heard that one at least four or five times in the past two or three months," Levoritz said, elaborating on a case involving a man who sought to divorce his wife after she had two abortions without his permission.
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Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. With each election cycle, Americans seem to become increasingly polarized, with issues like abortion, drug legalization and immigration fueling the divide. (Getty Images)
"I've had a couple of cases where marijuana was an issue [with co-parenting]. Basically, one parent thought they should try it with their kids, they should expose more to their kids, and the other parent thought that it's a gateway drug," he added.
Parents may have divergent opinions on education, with one preferring private school for their children while the other favors public school. When it comes to dating, one parent may favor stricter rules for their teenager, while the other may impose more relaxed rules.
Attorney Jessica Markham, also based in the D.C. area, even cited COVID as a factor in Axios' report, with disagreements over vaccinating and masking coming into play. She said many of the divisions that started then have escalated since.
Markham also told the outlet that political ideologies have been used to argue that one parent is unfit for custody, particularly in instances where one parent holds allegedly extreme viewpoints or shares "conspiracy theories" in online posts.
In Levoritz's experience, the problem existed to a lesser degree when former President Barack Obama and Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, faced off in 2012, but several issues that are now hotly-contested weren't overly pressing issues at the time.
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Abortion remains a significant social issue in American politics, particularly following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health decision that reversed Roe v. Wade. This issue is also creating contention in some families. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
"We had more people aligned on the issue about marijuana being an illegal drug. Now, over time, that's changed," he said as an example.
"Back then, I would say people were more easygoing. They were more willing to compromise too."
His message to parents currently locked in custody battles? Acknowledge the child's humanity.
"People have to understand that the child doesn't belong to them. It doesn't belong to mom, doesn't belong to dad. It doesn't belong to a third party who may be involved. The child is a human being, and that's something that has to be recognized by everybody."
"And, to a certain extent, you have to let the child out of the hostility and outside the fray of what's going on and allow the parent, to a certain extent, to come to their own conclusion or, if necessary, to try setting ground rules that allow for each parent to make the most important decisions to them and just let the other parent be and take a hands-off approach, despite their political motivations."
Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.
