Pat Robertson, the religious broadcaster and frequent contributor to perplexing newspaper headlines, recently made remarks about Alzheimer’s disease and divorce that raised a bit of a controversy.

According to CBS News, Robertson recently told viewers of his popular television show, “The 700 Club,” that it is ethically sound to divorce one’s spouse if he or she becomes afflicted with Alzheimer’s.

To justify his claim, Robertson likened having Alzheimer’s disease to experiencing a “kind of death.”

The remarks didn’t arrive completely out of thin air. Rather, Robertson was responding to a call from a viewer who was asked what advice he should give to a friend whose spouse was recently diagnosed with the debilitating disease.

In his words, Robertson said, “I know it sounds cruel, but if he’s going to do something, he should divorce her and start all over again.”

Despite the perceived coldness of these remarks, Robertson also clarified that the man should not ditch his spouse altogether, saying that the man should still “make sure she has custodial care and somebody looking after her.”

Unfortunately for the veteran broadcaster’s public reputation, Robertson continued to express his views.

When his co-host challenged his views, stating that marriage vows typically involve a promise to stay together until “death do us part,” Robertson claimed that people with Alzheimer’s are facing a sort of death, thus rendering this marriage vow irrelevant.

While divorces are extremely common in the United States, public figures like Robertson often decry rising divorce rates as signs of impending social doom. Such views, of course, ignore the beneficial effects of filing for divorce for people who need a fresh start.

Robertson’s controversial remarks are particularly striking given his usual warnings about morality and American lifestyles. He is commonly known as a staunch defender of traditional marriages.

In addition, his comments also ignored the reality that most marriages in which one or both spouses have Alzheimer’s do not end in divorce.

According to Beth Kallmyer, the Director of Constituent Services of the Alzheimer’s Association, most couples facing Alzheimer’s do not separate and choose to treat the illness just like any other terminal condition.

Kallmyer, however, does acknowledge that taking care of the afflicted person can cause tremendous stress on the other spouse. Thus the physical and emotional challenges of treating a person suffering from Alzheimer’s can lead to the dissolution of a marriage.

By failing to acknowledge the nuances of dealing with the disease within a marriage, and simply advising the caller’s friend to head for the hills, Robertson may have invited the public outcry that ensued.

Fortunately for his career, Robertson wields a tremendous amount of influence at the Christian Broadcasting Network.

When asked his views on Robertson’s remarks, the chairman of the broadcasting company demurred, telling a reporter to get “some ethicist besides me to give you the answer.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 27th, 2011 at 10:47 am and is filed under General Divorce News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.