[Update] My girlfriend is not breaking up with me

[Umbran]

BIG TANGENT/RANT ALERT

Some people look at a statistic like that and think "How horrible. No one values marriage anymore." I look at that statistic and think "How many of those 47-50% shouldn't have gotten married in the first place?

Well, yes, that's rather the point. A marriage requires a lot of work. If you aren't aware of that, and ready, willing, and able to do it, you shouldn't get married.

How many marriages are entered into for financial reasons? For some, that's the only way they can get health insurance if they have the wrong kind of job.

The fact that it is the only solution available doesn't make it a good solution.

If there were a good domestic partnership law in this country, I bet we'd see those divorce statistics cut in half overnight.

That's using a screwdriver to hammer in a nail. If the problem is the cost of health care, treat the actual problem - the cost of health care. Attacking the situation tangentially fails to get to the root of the problem. The original problem will continue to exist, and thus will eventually bite you on the butt. When it does so, it will be even a more intractable problem than it is now.

Edit- I should note that this is as far into the politics of the matter as I'm willing to go. I would not find it appropriate to go further into the legal issues tied into marriage.