Much has been made, and rightly so, of the campaign to permit marriages between persons of the same sex. But even if that campaign were to succeed, its proponents would likely find their victory a hollow one. That is because marriage as an institution has been so thoroughly dismantled and devalued that today it carries just about the same moral weight as-and somewhat less legal authority than-a contract for cellular-phone service. In most states, according to the Rocky Mountain Family Council, it's easier to get out of a ten-year marriage than it is to be rid of an employee hired one week ago.

I have recently gained the ability to comment advisedly on the subject, for my marriage is the target of a modern "no fault" divorce. As it has unfolded, I have discovered how my state-Connecticut-has done all it can to make ending a marriage easy, while making little or no provision for preserving it. In Connecticut, as in other states, "no fault" divorce means "divorce because it suits the mood of at least one partner." The state has produced an official publication, the "Do-It- Yourself Divorce Guide" (available online at http://www.jud.state.ct.us/forms/DivorceGuide.pdf), to make getting a divorce as simple as mounting a defense against a speeding ticket-even if your spouse has no interest in divorce.

Especially if your spouse has no interest in divorce. The "Do-It- Yourself Divorce Guide" offers everything one needs to know to obtain a divorce, but no guidance as to how one who opposes a divorce might respond. There is plenty on how to battle for a bigger piece of the marital corpse and on getting court orders of alimony, child support, custody, and exclusive use of the family home. There is no mention of another pre-judgment court order (a pendente lite, as such things are called) available under the law, in which the court may order two sessions with a marriage counselor or other person trained in the resolution of disputes within families. This unmentioned provision is the law's sole nod to the preservation of the marriage.