Grounds

        Sec. 401.  Dissolution of marriage.

    (a)  The court shall enter a judgment of dissolution of marriage  if

at  the  time the action was commenced one of the spouses was a resident

of this State or was stationed in this State while a member of the armed

services, and the residence or military presence had been maintained for

90 days next preceding the commencement of the action or the  making  of

the  finding;  provided, however, that a finding of residence of a party

in any judgment entered under this Act from January 1, 1982 through June

30, 1982 shall satisfy the former domicile requirements of this Act; and

if one of the following grounds for dissolution has been proved:

         (1)  That, without cause or provocation by the petitioner:  the

    respondent  was  at  the  time of such marriage, and continues to be

    naturally impotent; the respondent had a wife or husband  living  at

    the  time  of  the  marriage;  the respondent had committed adultery

    subsequent to the marriage; the respondent has wilfully deserted  or

    absented himself or herself from the petitioner for the space of one

    year,  including  any period during which litigation may have pended

    between the spouses for dissolution of marriage or legal separation;

    the respondent has been guilty of habitual drunkenness for the space

    of 2 years; the respondent has been guilty of  gross  and  confirmed

    habits  caused by the excessive use of addictive drugs for the space

    of 2 years, or has attempted the life of  the  other  by  poison  or

    other  means  showing  malice,  or  has  been  guilty of extreme and

    repeated physical or mental cruelty, or  has  been  convicted  of  a

    felony  or  other infamous crime; or the respondent has infected the

    other  with  a  sexually  transmitted  disease.  "Excessive  use  of

    addictive drugs", as used in this  Section,  refers  to  use  of  an

    addictive drug by a person when using the drug becomes a controlling

    or a dominant purpose of his life; or

         (2)  That  the  spouses  have  lived  separate  and apart for a

    continuous  period  in  excess  of  2   years   and   irreconcilable

    differences  have caused the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage

    and the court determines that efforts at reconciliation have  failed

    or that future attempts at reconciliation would be impracticable and

    not  in  the best interests of the family. If the spouses have lived

    separate and apart for a continuous period of not less than 6 months

    next preceding the entry of the judgment dissolving the marriage, as

    evidenced by testimony or affidavits of the spouses, the requirement

    of living separate and apart for a continuous period in excess of  2

    years  may  be waived upon written stipulation of both spouses filed

    with the court.  At any time after the parties cease to cohabit, the

    following periods shall be included in the period of separation:

              (A)  any period of cohabitation during which  the  parties

         attempted  in  good  faith  to  reconcile  and  participated in

         marriage counseling under the guidance of any of the following:

         a psychiatrist, a  clinical  psychologist,  a  clinical  social

         worker, a marriage and family therapist, a person authorized to

         provide  counseling in accordance with the prescriptions of any

         religious  denomination,  or  a  person  regularly  engaged  in

         providing family or marriage counseling; and

              (B)  any period of cohabitation under written agreement of

         the parties to attempt to reconcile.

    In computing the period during which the spouses have lived separate

and apart for purposes of this Section, periods during which the spouses

were living separate and apart prior to July 1, 1984 are included.

    (b)  Judgment shall not be entered unless,  to  the  extent  it  has

jurisdiction  to  do so, the court has considered, approved, reserved or

made provision for child custody,  the  support  of  any  child  of  the

marriage  entitled  to support, the maintenance of either spouse and the

disposition of property. The court may enter a judgment for  dissolution

that  reserves  any  of  these  issues  either upon (i) agreement of the

parties, or (ii) motion of either party and a finding by the court  that

appropriate circumstances exist.

    The  death  of  a  party  subsequent  to  entry  of  a  judgment for

dissolution but before judgment on reserved issues shall not  abate  the

proceedings.

    If  any  provision  of  this  Section  or  its  application shall be

adjudged unconstitutional or invalid for any  reason  by  any  court  of

competent  jurisdiction,  that  judgment  shall  not  impair,  affect or

invalidate any other provision or application  of  this  Section,  which

shall remain in full force and effect.

(Source: P.A. 89-187, eff. 7-19-95.)