Is this allowed?

fluffnutter

Blood relations: You can't marry your brother or sister, or half-sibling. You can marry your first cousin (although it's biologically fraught).

Non-blood relations: You can't marry your adopted sibling even if you're not genetically related. You can marry your step-brother/sister. You can marry your step-child/parent but not if you've ever been in a bona fide parent/child relationship, e.g. your step-father lived with you from when you were a baby. However, if your mother married someone when you were 20, you never lived together and they subsequently divorced, there's no barrier to your marrying them. Similarly you can marry your aunt or uncle's spouse.

Soleil_lune

tea_lover wrote: »

You can definitely marry your first cousin, my uncle did.

Cheers Come to think of it, the daughter of one of my friends had a friend who married her cousin too! It seems like a very close kin. I mean, when I was a lass, cousins were like siblings to us, and even now, I would find it very strange to marry any of my cousins, as I grew up with them.

But yes it is indeed legal, in fact the Royals were known to marry cousins a few generations back. And in the Asian community, it is very common. As I said though; it is a very close kin IMO. It seems too close to me. But hey, the law has the final say. And it is not illegal.

Dunroamin

fluffnutter wrote: »

Sure you can marry your brother's wife. It was the commonly done thing if one man had died for his widow to marry an unmarried brother. Keeps the assets in the family.

Didn't work for Henry VIII!

fluffnutter

Dunroamin wrote: »

Didn't work for Henry VIII!

He had all the assets anyway!

Dunroamin

fluffnutter wrote: »

He had all the assets anyway!

So would any younger son!

fluffnutter

Dunroamin wrote: »

So would any younger son!

Not if the wife of the older had had kids.

LeeLoo_2

The problem would be if your sister or husband adopted the other's child/children. In that case it would be more complicated because even though they are not related by blood they would be legally brother and sister.

cte1111

Didn't Dennis in Eastenders marry his adopted half sister Sharon? Before anyone says, I know soaps aren't real but they do usually research this kind of question.

Maybe Dennis didn't have Den on his birth certificate.

TBagpuss

They can marry. The relevant law is the Marriage Act, 1949, as amended.
There are restrictions about marrying your step-parent / step-child, but step-siblings are OK.

marisco_2

Of course they can marry. They are only step brother and sister, not related by blood like a half brother and sister. If it were illegal for them to marry then having a baby would also be a rather big issue too wouldn't it. As it is they are doing nothing wrong. It is for others to get their heads around if they take exception to it all.