SPRINGFIELD - The average Illinoisan may not be aware that there is an array of marriages prohibited by law in Illinois:
- One can't enter into marriage unless both parties are not married to anyone else.
- Parents can't marry their children, siblings cannot marry each other, uncles can't marry nieces and aunts can't marry nephews, cousins of the first degree can't marry unless, the law says, they are both older than 50 or they're proven to be sterile.
- Couples of the same biological sex are prohibited from marrying in Illinois.
Below is one portion of how State Rep. Greg Harris' HB 110 legalizing same sex marriage would change current Illinois statutes. The stricken language would remove the indicated passages from the Illinois Marriage Code. Underlined passages would be added.
Are other prohibitions listed also to be considered discriminatory against already married people and blood or adoptive relatives marrying each other in the state of Illinois? Should those laws be revised as well? Perhaps it's time for a discussion of marriage laws altogether. Should the state be involved in structuring protections for married persons? Your thoughts?
