I used to believe that there was a need for covenant marriage. After all, marriage is a contract that should have conditions of exit that suit the couple entering it. However, I began to sense that creating a separate category is unrealistic and elitist, not to mention very problematic in many ways. For example, an ultra-conservative government may decide to offer benefits exclusively to covenant marriages, something this equality-supporting person cannot agree with. I would suggest an alternative is to increase the legal standing of pre-nups, where couples entering marriages or civil unions can make their own exit conditions. If couples want restrictive exit conditions, they can specify it in the pre-nup. If couples want easy exit as an option by mutual agreement, they can also specify it in the pre-nup. That way all couples will have equal access to marriage or civil unions, and have conditions that suit them.
