The French government has announced plans to ban incest, bringing the country in line with most European countries, reports The Times.
Under French law, incest is only banned if children are involved. Adrien Taquet, the secretary of state for child protection, said that the government wanted to criminalise incestuous relationships even when both parties are over 18. Cousins would still be allowed to marry and ministers are yet to confirm whether stepfamilies would be included.
“Whatever the age, you don’t have sexual relations with your father, your son or your daughter,” he said during an interview with AFP. “It is not a question of age, it is not a question of consenting adults. We are fighting against incest. The signals must be clear.”
Laurent Boyet, the chairman of Les Papillons, a child protection charity, welcomed the announcement. “Incest is socially forbidden but not legally forbidden and it is important to make the two coincide,” he said. “[A sexual relationship] between a parent and a child always involves a form of control even when the child has reached adulthood, which is why incest is a specific act that requires specific legislation.”
Isabelle Aubry, chairwoman of Face à L’inceste, an association that offers help to victims of incest, said France, Spain and Portugal were the only European countries without legislation prohibiting incest involving adults and which “fail to protect children who could be born” of incestuous relationships.