Ordinary Gweilo

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I didn’t know that

I didn’t know this until I read about it in The Guardian, but apparently in France it is legal to marry someone who is dead. About 20 people do it each year, but you have to ask the President for permission. You can’t just choose to marry anyone – the authorities only allow it if a couple were planning to get married, and you need the agreement of your “parents-in-law”.

I can’t make my mind up whether this is touching or barmy. I suppose that if it makes the bereaved partner feel better it can’t do any harm.

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2 responses to “I didn’t know that”

  1. Cranial Cavity avatar
    Cranial Cavity

    Will This Groom Need Viagra?

    Will this groom need Viagra? – Dressed in a demure black suit, a 35-year-old French woman married her dead boyfriend Tuesday, an exchange of vows that required authorization from President Jacques Chirac.

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  2. Sassy Lawyer avatar
    Sassy Lawyer

    I tend to think it’s about two things :
    1. birth rights of an unborn child (like to bear the father’s name) and
    2. inheritance rights of the live spouse
    Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense.

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