By Janelle Stecklein | Editor
“So it’s not to say religious people are divorce prone; it’s just they have all these other risk factors, and underlying population dynamics that affect this. People like to get on social media and make these overarching statements, flattening a very complex issue. And I don’t think that serves anyone very well.” - Krista Westrick-Payne of traditionally religious states, such as Oklahoma, experiencing higher divorce rates
Missouri Republican state Rep. Cecelie Williams, flanked by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe and Democratic state Rep. Raychel Proudie, speaks in April about legislation that clarifies the right to divorce while pregnant. In recent decades, most of the states that have tweaked their divorce laws have made it easier, not harder, to get one. But that may be changing. (Photo by Steph Quinn/Missouri Independent)
By Anna Claire Vollers
A Virginia tragedy focused national attention on state divorce laws, which have remained mostly static since 2010, when New York became the last state to allow no-fault divorce. In the years since, most of the states that have tweaked their divorce laws have made it easier, not harder, to get one.
Now that could be changing.
In recent years, more conservatives have turned to divorce as a “family values” talking point, with some pushing to make it harder for couples to divorce. By doing so, they’ve relaunched a national conversation that would have been nearly unthinkable just a few years ago.
An inmate at Joseph Harp Correctional Center in Lexington is pictured on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. (Photo by Carmen Forman/Oklahoma Voice)
OPINION
By Janelle Stecklein
Despite having my phone number on the federal Do Not Call Registry, it feels like there’s been an enormous spike in the number of telemarketers trying to sell me on everything from new roofs to insurance policies to political candidates.
President Donald Trump speaks during an event at the White House on Aug. 6, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
By Ashley Murray
A proposal by President Donald Trump to give $5,000 to each American adult if Republicans retain control of the U.S. House and Senate in November would “explode” the national deficit and worsen inflation, according to an analysis issued Thursday by the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
A worker is pictured at the Chrysler plant in Toledo, Ohio. The Buckeye State’s automobile industry could be hit particularly hard by President Donald Trump’s ongoing trade war with Canada. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
By Kevin Hardy
President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war with Canada is creating headaches for Republicans ahead of November’s midterms as high prices remain a top concern among voters.
A hallway inside the Clinton Regional Hospital, which closed in 2022. The healthcare provider is now receiving federal support to convert to a rural emergency hospital. (Photo by Jillian Taylor/ StateImpact Oklahoma)
By Sierra Pfeifer, KOSU
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing a significant rule change that would mean physicians receive half as much in reimbursement from Medicare for services provided on the same day as an office visit.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Oklahoma Voice staff will participate in the following events:
5 p.m. Sept. 30, Bricktown Brewery in Oklahoma City. Editor Janelle Stecklein will participate in a panel that focuses on the role legal support plays in accountability reporting. Host: Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
2:30 p.m. Oct. 23, Tulsa Central Library. Editor Janelle Stecklein will participate in a panel discussing how to report on state government. Host: Oklahoma Local News Summit
9 a.m. Oct. 27, Omni Hotel in Oklahoma City. Education reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel will moderate a panel at The Oklahoma Education Policy Conference. Host: University of Oklahoma
If you're interested in having us talk in your town, email Janelle Stecklein at [email protected]
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