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'Biologically repugnant': Parent's legal battle to marry their child

A parent who wants to marry their biological child has filed a lawsuit to overturn laws barring incest.

The identities of the parent, from New York, and the child are unknown, along with their exact ages, but the filing does confirm the “proposed spouses are adults”.

“The proposed spouses are biological parent and child. The proposed spouses are unable to procreate together,” court papers filed in the Manhattan federal court on April 1 read, according to the New York Post.

A couple holding hands in cafe.
A parent who wants to marry their biological child has filed a lawsuit to overturn laws barring incest. Source: AAP

The parent did acknowledge their request was “an action that a large segment of society views as morally, socially and biologically repugnant”.

However, they said barring them from marrying their child would “diminish their humanity”.

“Through the enduring bond of marriage, two persons, whatever relationship they might otherwise have with one another, can find a greater level of expression, intimacy and spirituality,” the parent said, according to the publication.

Under New York law, incest is a third-degree felony and offenders face up to four years in prison.

Birth parents must be listed on marriage certificates.

The parent said they are eager to propose to their child, but don’t want to under current laws.

Eric Wrubel, a family and matrimonial law attorney, told the New York Post the lawsuit was premature because the couple had not applied for a marriage license yet.

He said the filing was “never gonna fly”.

Teen reveals romance with dad

There have been a numerous documented cases of a parent and child forming a romantic relationship after being reunited many years after birth, otherwise known as genetic sexual attraction.

The term was coined by Barbara Gonyo in the 1970s after she found herself attracted to her son who she had given up for adoption as a teen.

An unidentified couple walking on crosswalk while holding hands.
In 2015, an 18-year-old girl from the Greater Lakes region in the US detailed her incestuous relationship with her dad Source: AAP

In 2015, an 18-year-old girl from the Greater Lakes region in the US detailed her incestuous relationship with her dad to The Cut.

She recalled losing her virginity to her dad after not seeing each other for 12 years.

The pair, who were engaged at the time of the interview, planned on having wedding, but said they would avoid legally registering the marriage.

“We both initiated it and he kept asking me if I was okay, not because he thought I was distressed but because he wanted me to know that we could stop at any point,” she said of their union.

“It was like any other man and woman having sex after they had each admitted their feelings.”

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