Siblings fight law to marry!

News.com (Australian) ^ | 2-20-04 | Editorial Staff

[vannrox]

A WEST AUSTRALIAN couple who are brother and sister by adoption but unrelated by blood are battling a federal law preventing them from marrying.

Kevin and Deborah Jefferies have been in love for at least 10 years and wish to get married, but under the Federal Marriage Act 1961 ? which prevents brothers and sisters from marrying ? their relationship is taboo.

The couple became siblings on paper when their parents married and Kevin's father adopted Deborah and her sisters.

"There's so many people who can get divorced so easily ? we can't even get married to start with," Kevin told Channel Seven.

"If you love somebody you marry them ... it's more than just a piece of paper."

[xJones]

Does that means if they get divorced, they are still brother and sister??

If so, they'll be aunt and uncle to their own children, the children will be cousins to each other, and I don't even want to think about grandchildren.

[cookcounty]

" is he Mr and Mr John Johnson?"

Probably it should be "Mister and Master Johnson".

[missyme]

I did not post#3

[flying Elvis]

General William T. Sherman married his sister. It was a similar situation to this one. Sherman's biological father died and he was sent to live with another family. He married their daughter whom he grew up with.

[King Prout]

You posted #13, to which I replied.
#13 had within it a line labelled: "3."

Clarify that #3, please, if that will not too heavily strain your mind ;)

[writer33]

Better than that. Two gay men and lesbian have children. All got married. Who gets paternal rights? Where's Wapner when you need him?

[missyme]

Yes I wrote it and yes it's confusing and in-coherent because that is what would happen if Gays Marry.

So I will put it this way. 2 different surrogate mothers that are currently married and have children by there current husbands decide to bore children for 2 gay men.
One surrogate gives 1 man 2 kids the 2nd surrogate gives the other man 3 kids the women now have kids with there current husbands and also with gay men. Now the Gay men divorce and there becomes a custody issue, the gay man wants custody of the other man's biological children, but the mother steps in and now she wants her say or custody, does she have more rights than the non-bilogical gay parent? how does this all play out in the legal system?? It sounds like a big Cluster muck to me...

[Clintonfatigued]

It was bound to happen, I suppose. What's next, parents marrying children? Or maybe people marrying pets? This absurdity is no longer a laughing matter.

[exit82]

I think they become Johnson and johnson.

[King Prout]

that's even worse than before.
am I correct in assuming that English is not your native language?

[jordan8]

Can't really see the problem here. It's certainly no worse than Woody Allen marrying his adopted daughter. Allen got a lot of flack about it but nobody said he didn't have a legal right to do so.

[supercat]

Are the people in question considered to be siblings, half-siblings, or step-siblings? Yes, I know they're adopted, but what do their birth certificates say?

[KangarooJacqui]

I'm just wondering who the hell put "NZ" on the list of keywords. Someone with a sick sense of humour, or some idiot with not even the basic grasp of geography?

"West Australia", for the uninitiated, is a shortening of the state name "Western Australia".

NEW ZEALAND, on the other hand, is a couple thousand miles across the ocean from the EASTERN SEABOARD of Australia (comprised of several states).

[KangarooJacqui]

mhking, I would have thought better of you.

The two kids are adopted. They aren't genetically related any more than - okay, maybe slightly more than you and I.

[KangarooJacqui]

I would like to know if "Gay Marraige" is allowed then how does Divorce work?

And I would like to know how this story even RELATES to gay marriage?

Heck, I'll admit of skipping over a few paragraphs of a long article, but this one isn't even medium-sized. The folks in question are MALE AND FEMALE... what is WRONG with some people's reading comprehension skilss?

[KangarooJacqui]

As the opening notes of "Dueling Banjos" plays in the background...

If the couple were blood relatives, that might be cogent. Otherwise, just ignorant.

*Hearty applause* WELL SAID...

[philetus]

Ping

[supercat]

The two kids are adopted. They aren't genetically related any more than - okay, maybe slightly more than

Cultural tabboos against incest exist not only because of the genetic implications, but equally importantly because siblings and other close relatives are naturally prone to intimate relationships, and allowing such relationships to exist without being messed up by sexual overtones is a good thing.

[KangarooJacqui]

Yeah, so you might have a point... but you still haven't satisfied my curiosity as to why "New Zealand" and "gay" are on the "issues" list...

We're talking about a male and a female, wanting to get married, some thousands of miles WEST of New Zealand. If Americans can't get a hold of basic facts (and geography) before jumping in on threads like this, I fail to see why I shouldn't throw my five cents' worth in.

Meow.