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April 30, 2005
Marriage Abduction
Would you like an example of an evil that canon law succeeded in stamping out in the West during the middle ages? Bride-kidnapping. The consent rules of canon law make this one very difficult. "Secret marriages" took longer, but eventually the rules that the giving of consent had to be public (in front of a witness) took hold. The carrying-over-the-threshhold part of our wedding customary may be the last signs of abduction left in America (the "so she doesn't trip" explanation doesn't ring nearly as true as "bringing her to the marital home forcibly." Yes, it could be both.)
The article is about Kyrgyz marriage abductions and begins: "When Ainur Tairova realized she was on her way to her wedding, she started choking the driver.
It's technically illegal in Kyrgyz law, too, but no one's enforcing it.
Posted by CrankyProfessor at April 30, 2005 9:26 AM