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It is a political trend divorce attorneys in Pasadena have seen brewing for quite some time: divorce reform bills. For the last couple of years, a variety of divorce reform acts have been purposed by politicians and lawmakers across the country. Yet just as this trend has gained momentum, two high-profile divorce bills on the ballots in two very different states have been defeated.

In Montana, Republican lawmaker Tom McGillvray proposed a bill that would require divorcing couples to attend seven meetings with a counselor. McGillvray says divorce is damaging a generation of children and thinks counseling could save marriages. Opponents of the bill, however, believe the bill was overstepping its bounds and interfering with the private lives of voters.

"I don't want you telling me what I can and can't do in my married life," argued Democratic Rep. Edie McClafferty. "I'm sure not going to tell anyone what they can and can't do in their married life. Last time I heard, we lived in a free country, people can make their own decisions.

McGillvray’s bill died on the house floor in a 60-40 vote.

Down south in Mississippi, a very different kind of divorce bill also was shot down. The house said "no, thank you" to a bill that would have given a spouse grounds for divorce if they have been away from an abusive situation for five years or longer. Backers of the bill say the bill would have made it easier for victims of abuse to file for divorce after fleeing an abusive situation from a spouse who woudn’t grant them a divorce. The bill had passed earlier in the Senate but was defeated last Thursday on a vote of 81-39. Mississippi law currently allows an abandoned spouse to file for divorce but doesn’t address when one spouse leaves but is denied a divorce by the other spouse.

Family attorneys in Pasadena know that the breakup of a family is challenging for children regardless of economic background or the careers of their parents. But for famous children whose parents are divorcing, the dissolution of the family brings on a whole separate slew of complicated issues. Lately, we’ve seen kids from the world of entertainment come to grips with their divorcing parents in front of millions of people.

17-year-old Miley Cyrus may be a show business veteran thanks in part to her long-running hit television show Hannah Montana, but in the end Cyrus is a teenager whose parents are breaking up. KidsHealth.org says that teens in particular react strongly to divorce. The site says teens caught in the crossfire of divorce often feel “abandoned, afraid, worried or guilty” in addition to being angry and emotional over the situation. Cyrus has come under fire since her parents broke up and many gossip columnists are worried if the star is headed toward a breakdown. Sources close to the teenager say she is exhausted by pretending her life is normal.

“Miley is trying to be strong going through her parents’ breakup and she loves them both,” a friend recently told Hollywoodlife.com. “Everyone is reading into each of her every moves, like when she goes out with her mom and no one sees her dad. It’s pushing her buttons.”

Family therapists like Karen Mengle say rebellion or feelings of anger and confusion are to be expected by teens whose parents have broken up.

“I think we expect already emotional teenagers to react strongly to divorce, so for somebody like Miley whose whole life is chronicled in the tabloids the issue comes with its own set of challenges unique to famous kids,” Mengle says.

Instead of dealing with it in private, kids like Miley are forced to answer questions about it from the media and this can be particularly stressful. She adds that it is important for teenagers, famous or otherwise, “to able to have safe places to express their feelings about the divorce.”