Stepson cannot marry stepmother

A COUPLE have been banned from marrying: because they are stepson and stepmother, even although they are otherwise unrelated.

The couple, Eric Holder (44) and Elisabeth Lorentz (47) in Moselle, had made all the arrangements for the wedding even down to the band and sending out invitations but had not consulted the mairie.

There they were told that because Elisabeth had been married to Eric’s father between 2003 and 2006 – he left her in 2006 – they were considered in direct family line and could not marry under the law.

Even the president could not give them special authorisation to marry. They wrote to President Hollande and were told that he could only give permission if Eric’s father were dead.

Elisabeth told France Info that she and Eric had fallen in love after he had comforted her when his father left. “When Eric asked me to marry him I was in heaven. Today they are accusing me of incest!”

“They speak of “marriage pour tous” (marriage for all) and the law even allows cousins to marry but us, we cannot...”

She and Eric have written again to President Hollande to ask him to lift the ban but say they may have to take their case to the European Court of Human Rights as it had already condemned the UK in 2005 for banning a wedding between a step-father and his step-daughter.