Cohabitation Bill

Cohabitation Bill

Politics

The following article is about the displeasure Lois DeBerry and two other female legislators faced against a bill ending alimony payments to a person if they resided or cohabitated with a person of the opposite sex for 90 days or more. The female representatives were railroaded by representative Ira Murphy. Rep. Gaia was planning on proposing an amendment to the bill but Murphy called for an end of debates and the bill was passed. Murphy rushed the decision because Sen. White was having doubts about the proposed bill which would have hindered the passing of the bill. The reason that DeBerry and the other women stood against the bill because the language was not clear. There was not enough clarity about residing and cohabiting or the amount of time that these events should happen. DeBerry’s lack of support for the bill shows that she supported motions that supported women instead of debilitating them.

Balentine, Jim

Mississippi Valley Collection

The University of Memphis Libraries

February 29, 1980

Memphis Press-Scimitar

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Hist4851, Spring 2015