A brother and sister from Germany who had an incestuous
relationship, arguing they had the right to a family life, have
lost their European court case.Of course, I applaud the decision
of the ECHR, but I take a rather different view on the
justification of it. Patrick Stuebing and Susan Karolewski had
four children together, two of whom are described as disabled.
The European Court of Human Rights said Germany was entitled to
ban incest. Stuebing, who was convicted of incest and spent
three years in prison, did not meet his natural sister until he
tracked down his family as an adult. He had been adopted as a
child and only made contact with his natural relatives in his
20s. The siblings grew close after their mother died. Three of
their four children are now looked after in care. The couple
insist that their love is no different to any other. Regulation
of marriage is central to the moral and legal codes of almost
all human societies. Different societies limit marriage in
diverse ways: - Age (young people are