Judge Prevents Divorce Due To Pregnancy

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Judge won’t let woman divorce while she’s pregnant

In comments submitted to Bastine, Hughes said: “If this court vacates my divorce and requires me to stay married to a man I have no desire ever to have a relationship with and who has brought significant physical harm to me over the years, I would be emotionally devastated. If the court vacates my divorce and stays it until the birth of my child, it will prevent me from marrying the father of my child prior to her birth.”

That link is no longer accessible, but The Stranger had an article which is accessible: A Difficult Pregnancy

Just sick. But the issue may not necessariily be one of an “activist judge” but Spokane law:

Spokane County has a policy against children being born “in limbo.” A child’s paternity must be determined before a divorce can be granted. While one state law allows women to divorce at will, there is another law that prohibits the courts from leaving a child without a source of financial support.

However, there is other information claiming that the judge was really trying to prevent the child from being born “in limbo” or out of wedlock. So who knows.