Is Oklahoma considering a bill that could make it harder for some couples to get divorced?

Oklahoma Senate Bill 228, introduced on February 3, 2025, would create specific requirements for entering and exiting a covenant marriage. Covenant marriages differ from traditional marriages namely in that participants forfeit the option to end the marriage without proof of wrongdoing.

For a divorce to be granted in a covenant marriage, one would need to prove through a preponderance of evidence one of three situations: abandonment for at least a year, abuse or adultery.

The bill also requires marital counseling before the divorce is granted, except in cases of abuse or criminal conviction.

Oklahoma SB 228 would also make couples who opt into covenant marriages eligible for a $2,500 tax credit.

Only three states – Louisiana, Arizona and Arkansas – allow couples to forfeit a potential no-fault divorce through a covenant marriage.

Oklahoma Watch (OklahomaWatch.org) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state. Oklahoma Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims.