Annulment v. Divorce

Last quarter I took Macroeconomics and I must admit, it has forever changed the way I look at things. So this quarter I've decided to challenge Income Tax. Okay, I'll be honest here: I am neither taking this class for the challenge, or to try to do my own income tax. I am taking this class because I have applied for a position within the company that knowledge in this particular area will be very useful. 'cause let's face it, income tax is not remotely as interesting as financial accounting. I'll equate income tax to chewing on a phone book....

But I have digressed, as usual. Reading about what goes under the "income tax" category just get me upset... and I am digressing again. I came across annulment while reading my tax, which sparked my interest in the difference between an annulment and a divorce. A quick search on the internet produced the following amusing results.

First, I came across the Intelligent Discontent website, in which I found this entry:

I would like to thank the voters of the state of Texas for annulling my marriage.

The joint resolution passed as a constitutional amendment yesterday reads:

Sec. 32. (a) Marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman.
(b) This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage.

Now, I see that (a) point saying that marriage shall only consist of a union of a man and a woman; but the (b) point clearly says there can be nothing identical or similar to marriage. And since my marriage licence is from McLennan County, TX, I recognize that my marriage is annulled. Because, of course, no “strict constructionalist” could read that passage in any other way right?

Therefore, I will inform my wife tonight that I am a bachelor. And she can blame Rick Perry et al. for the return of my lifesize Jar Jar Binks, the Guns N’ Roses poster that will surely be on the wall, the pizza boxes strewn about the floor, ramen noodles and the use of the entire bedroom as a clothes hamper. Oh yeah, I can spend all my spare time blogging now.

TX, you rule.

(To the dude, Joe, who writes Intelligent Discontent: I apologize in advance for copying your entire entry over to my blog. I am not doing this to attract more readership to myself because I really don't have any. :D I did this because from past experience, fellos are simply too lazy to click on a link. =.= BUT if you are reading this, somebody must have followed the link to your block. *wink wink*)

Joe also had a response to his entry, which says, "Congratulations, Joe." It's nice to know somebody out there still have their heads on their shoulders. :D

After I navigated away from Joe's blog and back to my search result list, I went to a website that talks about Florida Annulment of Marriage. It's written in much legal mumbo jumbo so I won't bore you with the details, and frankly, I don't get all of them myself. But since I don't (1) live in Florida, (2) want an annulment, or (3) am a law major, it really doesn't matter much now, does it?

What I wanted to point out for the purpose of this entry is this blurb:

A marriage induced by fraud and deceit can be annulled where the marriage has not been consummated. Misrepresentation of pregnancy, alone, has been held an insufficient reason for annulment. It appears, however, that sexual intercourse
operates as a complete ratification of a marriage otherwise voidable.

Um... I'm sorry to say this as a woman, but YES! misrepresentation of pregnancy IS fraud! It's a marriage based on a LIE! Like hell that should be ground for an annulment. That is such an awful act that it should really be illegal in the first place! I've always feel that it's grossly unfair to be the male in this situation: if the girl doesn't want to keep the baby, the guy really doesn't have much say in it, no matter how much he'd want his kid. On the other hand, if the girl insists on having the baby, the guy will automatically be jibbed with child support for the next 18 years to come. In this case, men are entirely helpless. Or are they? Perhaps if the guy really, REALLY, strongly wants to eliminate the possibility of this happening, they should take matters into their own hand, literally and metaphorically (use a condom, have a vesectomy, you name it). Now if an accident still happens, that's just the price you've paid for tempting fate while consummating your love.