The state of New York has long been at the forefront of cultural and legal progress. Yet, for all of its claim to fame as the center of the world, New York has some antiquated divorce laws that need to be changed to protect our families.

As the band the Eagles reminded us, in a New York minute, anything can change. Not so in the context of New York's divorce laws. A case in point: It was not until 2010 that New York became one of the last states to introduce its own version of no-fault divorce.

Now, another change is needed to protect New York's families in distress. While it is essentially universally recognized in the mental health community that divorcing litigants (particularly those with children) should not be residing together under the same roof, courts have very little authority to order such a physical separation of the parties.