Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
Let's go back to 1964, long before no-fault divorce laws in the U.S. Here is one man's story about going to court with what appeared to be a rock-solid case, and the judge said "NO" to his request for a divorce.
Before no-fault divorce (pre-1970), people could be legally trapped in dead, dangerous, or non-existent marriages for life ⛓️
At-fault divorce laws protected the "institution of marriage," ignored harm, and left people with no escape. Frank Woodworth’s 1963 divorce shows why unilateral no-fault divorce wasn’t moral decay—it was a moral and social good 📜✨
Ending a marriage shouldn’t require surviving one ❤️🩹
For More Horror Stories of Life Before Unilateral No-Fault Divorce, watch these:
1. Christina Larson’s story - when your word doesn’t count and finding a neutral 3rd party witness to abuse was impossible. https://fb.watch/EjSW9uo8Ij/
2. Lucy Chapman’s story - when your word didn’t count and somehow you had to find a witness who would testify that your husband had abandoned you and was across state lines for more than a year. https://fb.watch/EjSXOeWdc4/
For more on why unilateral no-fault divorce matters, see the pros and cons here 👉
lifesavingdivorce.com/prosandcons
#HistoryMatters #NoFaultDivorce #LegalReform #socialjustice
ABOUT
Gretchen Baskerville is a Christian divorce recovery leader and author. She began leading support groups for single mothers in conservative churches in the Los Angeles area in 1998 and now focuses primarily on reaching people online.
For more than 25 years, Gretchen has helped women and men of faith find strength, courage, and healing through the challenges of life-saving divorce. She listens with empathy to those recovering from domestic violence, betrayal, infidelity, addiction, and emotional abuse.
A survivor of a toxic marriage herself, Gretchen understands the journey of rebuilding after loss. Following her own life-saving divorce and years as a single mother, she is now happily remarried.
She is a graduate of Wheaton College with a degree in Bible and Christian Education.
For more information:
Website and Blog: LifeSavingDivorce.com
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lifesavingdivorce.bsky.social
Facebook facebook.com/lifesavingdivorce
Instagram instagram.com/gretchenbaskerville
You Tube youtube.com/@lifesavingdivorce
Twitter twitter.com/GGBaskerville
What's a Life-Saving Divorce? A Life-Saving Divorce is a divorce for serious reasons: a pattern of sexual immorality, physical violence, chronic emotional abuse, felony behavior, family-crushing addictions, or abandonment/neglect.
My Book: "The Life-Saving Divorce: Hope for People Leaving Destructive Relationships"
Paperback or eBook: amzn.to/3J3vXa7
or AUDIOBOOK: amzn.to/4f52Mh4
Or get it from Gumroad (for those who share an Amazon account with their abuser): Download the EPUB and PDF at gumroad.com/lsp
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Let's go back to 1964, long before no-fault divorce laws in the U.S. Here is one man's story about going to court with what appeared to be a rock-solid case, and the judge said "NO" to his request for a divorce.
Before no-fault divorce (pre-1970), people could be legally trapped in dead, dangerous, or non-existent marriages for life ⛓️
At-fault divorce laws protected the "institution of marriage," ignored harm, and left people with no escape. Frank Woodworth’s 1963 divorce shows why unilateral no-fault divorce wasn’t moral decay—it was a moral and social good 📜✨
Ending a marriage shouldn’t require surviving one ❤️🩹
For More Horror Stories of Life Before Unilateral No-Fault Divorce, watch these:
1. Christina Larson’s story - when your word doesn’t count and finding a neutral 3rd party witness to abuse was impossible. https://fb.watch/EjSW9uo8Ij/
2. Lucy Chapman’s story - when your word didn’t count and somehow you had to find a witness who would testify that your husband had abandoned you and was across state lines for more than a year. https://fb.watch/EjSXOeWdc4/
For more on why unilateral no-fault divorce matters, see the pros and cons here 👉
lifesavingdivorce.com/prosandcons
#HistoryMatters #NoFaultDivorce #LegalReform #socialjustice
ABOUT
Gretchen Baskerville is a Christian divorce recovery leader and author. She began leading support groups for single mothers in conservative churches in the Los Angeles area in 1998 and now focuses primarily on reaching people online.
For more than 25 years, Gretchen has helped women and men of faith find strength, courage, and healing through the challenges of life-saving divorce. She listens with empathy to those recovering from domestic violence, betrayal, infidelity, addiction, and emotional abuse.
A survivor of a toxic marriage herself, Gretchen understands the journey of rebuilding after loss. Following her own life-saving divorce and years as a single mother, she is now happily remarried.
She is a graduate of Wheaton College with a degree in Bible and Christian Education.
For more information:
Website and Blog: LifeSavingDivorce.com
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lifesavingdivorce.bsky.social
Facebook facebook.com/lifesavingdivorce
Instagram instagram.com/gretchenbaskerville
You Tube youtube.com/@lifesavingdivorce
Twitter twitter.com/GGBaskerville
What's a Life-Saving Divorce? A Life-Saving Divorce is a divorce for serious reasons: a pattern of sexual immorality, physical violence, chronic emotional abuse, felony behavior, family-crushing addictions, or abandonment/neglect.
My Book: "The Life-Saving Divorce: Hope for People Leaving Destructive Relationships"
Paperback or eBook: amzn.to/3J3vXa7
or AUDIOBOOK: amzn.to/4f52Mh4
Or get it from Gumroad (for those who share an Amazon account with their abuser): Download the EPUB and PDF at gumroad.com/lsp
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
