X-Message-Number: 5991
From:  (David Stodolsky)
Subject: French women marries dead policeman?
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 96 15:46:09 +0100

According to the BBC program "All things considered" broadcast today,
there is currently a case before the Court of Appeals asking that a
french women be allowed to marry a dead policeman. Such marriages are
permitted by a French law, which was passed immediately after the
First World War. It allowed women how were engaged to soldiers to
"marry" them, even though they had been killed in the War. 

Such marriages must be approved by the President of France, and there
must be a finding that the dead person had intended to marry the petitioner.
In this case, these formalities were in order, but the mother of the
dead man received an injunction against the marriage just hours before
it was scheduled to take place in the Marseilles City Hall.

A practical effect of the "marriage" is support for the six year old
son of the to be married couple. This would be provided by the State
until maturity, since the Policeman was killed in the line of duty,
during a robbery. A major motivation seems, however, to be emotional,
since the women was planing to spend her "honeymoon" at the grave
site of her "husband".

dss


David S. Stodolsky      PGP KeyID: B830DF31       
   Tel.: +45 38 33 03 30   Fax: +45 38 33 88 80 (C)


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