As things currently stand, legal aid is available in certain circumstances for people to go through with a divorce. If your income is low enough, you can easily pop into a local legal firm, like Chattertons solicitors Lincoln, for example, and take steps to put an end to your marriage.
This is very much under review, however. As the Governmental axe of spending cuts continues to fall, certain areas of family law are in the firing line and divorce is probably at the top of this list.
Many people feel that if cuts in legal aid have to be made, divorce proceedings should be one of the sacrifices. You cannot secure tax payer's money to pay for the wedding, so why on earth are you able to take money out of the public purse to pay to end it?
It is hardly fair that other people have to pay to put an end to a relationship that has not worked out. If divorce is not available through the legal aid scheme, people will have to find the money to end the marriage themselves.
But then, what if that marriage is forced to end as a consequence of something like domestic violence? Can our society, say to a victim of such crime, that they must remain married in these circumstances as they cannot afford to go through with a divorce?
With this in mind, perhaps a complete blanket ban on legal aid for divorce proceedings is not a good idea. There may need to be some kind of legal test introduced, that would be able to provide such worthy petitioners with the financial means to end their marriage and move on with their life.