An anti-gay marriage crusader in Florida says he is now aiming to prevent divorce by making it more costly for couples to marry.

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John Stemberger, head of the Orlando-based Florida Family Policy Council, said he wants the Florida Legislature to consider a bill that would add $100 to the state's marriage-license fee in the hopes that it would cause potential spouses to take their marriages more seriously and therefore decrease the number of divorces, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Wednesday.

The fee would be returned if the couple attends at least eight hours of premarital counseling under Stemberger's proposal.

Stemberger, who led last year's fight to pass the same-sex marriage banning Amendment 2, claims divorce is costly to the state because it creates poverty-stricken households led by single mothers. He estimated a 10 percent reduction in the state's divorces would save $100 million a year.

However, Judith Stacey, a sociology professor at New York University, and other critics contend that most children living in poverty are parented by unwed mothers, not divorcees.

"There is no way that is going to make a dent in unwed childbirths," said Stacey, who has studied the issue. "This is not going to save the state a dime."