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Title: Woman turns in her parents after discovering they are siblings
Source:
the Sun
URL Source: http://nypost.com/2017/06/29/woman- ... discovering-they-are-siblings/
Published: Jun 29, 2017
Author: Brittany Vonow, The Sun
Post Date: 2017-07-04 18:51:07 by cranky
Keywords: None
Views: 1120
Comments: 4
Growing up, Donna Price’s childhood seemed as picture-perfect as any other happy youngster’s. Her mom and dad doted on her and her siblings, and to outsiders they seemed the perfect family — but they were hiding a dark secret. Price’s world came crashing down one dark day in 2014 when she discovered the devastating news that her loving parents were brother and sister. The shocking revelation not only tore the family apart, it ended up in a courtroom last month as the pair pleaded guilty to incest — narrowly avoiding jail. Speaking exclusively to The Sun Online, Price, 32, said she has still not recovered from the shock. Breaking down in tears as she relived the betrayal, Price, who approached the Sun Online to tell her story, said: “I feel my childhood was all based on a lie. I hate them. “There’s not enough words to describe how much I hate them.” To further twist the knife, Price learned in the course of the police investigation that the man she knew as her father was not even her real dad — a DNA test found her mother had an affair with an unknown male. But police confirmed her three younger siblings were her parents’ biological children. Price was given the devastating news about her incestuous parents in December 2014 by an estranged aunt, who confirmed the news through a Facebook message after rumors had started to swirl. She said: “I had thought it was somebody just trying to stir up stuff because surely that sort of thing could never have happened. “But her reply was yes, they are brother and sister.” She said: “My son had just been discharged from hospital after being poorly and I come out of the hospital and my phone went ping and it was that message. “I felt sick and my stomach just dropped. “I spoke to my partner about it and decided I would wait until after Christmas, have a normal day as much as I could while I gathered up information.” It was then, at the end of 2014, that Price reported her own parents to the police, sparking a two-year investigation that would see the pair eventually plead guilty in court and be given suspended sentences. The Sun has decided not to identify Price’s mother in any way to protect her young children from a subsequent relationship. Now refusing to call the pair Mom and Dad, Price said: “It was horrendous and one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. “But I still would have done the same thing again.” While bravely trying to come to terms with the truth, Price said she couldn’t look back on her childhood without a mixture of sadness and anger. “I have so many memories as a family but I don’t have any of that anymore,” she said. “This has clouded everything, I can’t see past it. “Until you’re in that situation you’re in, it’s hard to get your head around it. “How two people managed to manipulate and con people — how can you do that to anyone.” Speaking from her home in the south of England, Price has tried to create a new family for herself, dedicating herself to raising her four children with her loving partner. The family dogs play in the back yard, with the home full of signs of a loving family. But any trace of her parents — family photos, childhood toys — has been removed. A mother herself, Price said she couldn’t understand how siblings could ever look at each other in a romantic way. When contacted by The Sun Online, dad Robin Price was full of regret — but claimed he didn’t intend to fall in love with his half-sister, whom he did not meet until adulthood. He claimed he met her in a pub in the 1980s — and had no idea that they were related until a year into the couple’s relationship. By then, he said, they had already fallen for each other. Now 62, he said: “Looking at it now, then yes, it was wrong. “At the time, to us, that was it, we was happy, we didn’t give a monkey about what anybody else thought.” He said he and his half-sister had initially decided to break off their relationship after an aunt met them and realized they were related — but it was then they discovered the sister was pregnant. The couple, who never married, then went on to have three more children, before finally separating in 1994. Their youngest, Steven, tragically died when he was just 7 years old in 2001, with Price’s parents breaking off all ties between them. Robin, who lives in southeast London, said: “When we met, we just fell in love. “How can you not fall in love with someone, if you meet someone and get along, you’re going to fall for them. “I suppose, looking back on it, we shouldn’t have done it.” Speaking to the Sun Online, Robin said the siblings had not known about each other growing up, as he was estranged from the mother they shared. Revealing the moment he realized he had been sleeping with his sister, he said: “We met one of my aunties and she kept looking at both of us. “She said, ‘You know something? You two are brother and sister.’ I said, ‘Oh yeah, of course we are.’ “But she said she was certain.” It was then the couple investigated and confronted their shared mother, who confirmed their worst fears. Robin said: “I felt like somebody stabbed me. “I just couldn’t believe it when we found out.” He said the pair had separated in 1994, but he continued to help raise their son, Steven, who was diagnosed with severe epilepsy. He said he and his sister-lover had considered telling their children but never did — and he hoped to one day reconcile with them. Robin Price and the mother both faced court earlier this year on charges of incest, with both pleading guilty at Croydon Crown Court. The court heard that it was a “consenting, not coercive” relationship. Robin Price was given a five-month suspended sentence while Donna’s mother was given three months suspended. 
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#1. To: cranky (#0)
(Edited)
Meh. Half-brother, half-sister. Legal in most states, as is marriage between first cousins. Cousin marriage was quite common up to a century ago, especially in the South. We then had a lot of laws against it but modern geneticists and the courts have reduced penalties for such marriages. I've seen a few odd marriages. A hubby and a wife desert their spouses and run off to divorce them and marry each other. Then the spouses who got dumped got together and they got married. And seemed happier than the homewreckers ended up being. I knew a guy at work. He and his brother both married sisters. Then all at once, they were all divorced. Then they married each other's ex-wives. Moms/dads/aunts/uncles/cousins/brothers/sisters/in-laws, none of that applied to these people. And they weren't stupid people or backwoods hillbillies either. I lost track of them and don't know how happy or unhappy they were over the years. Always a risk with unknown siblings meeting each other as adults. They have a natural genetic attraction to each other. The protective effect of being raised together which normally prevents such relationships doesn't apply when they don't meet until they reach breeding age and don't know they are related when they meet.
That's not been my experience. Virtually, all the states i've lived in (al, ca, co, fl, et al) don't allow it based on ether half-blood or consanguinity. NJ didn't allow it when i lived there but i heard that might have changed.
Over the last decade, there have been some major changes in various states. All very quiet, little reported in the media. Genetically, there isn't much wrong if you marry a first cousin, as long as you don't do it generation after generation, as modern Pakis do in England giving rise to birth defects, or like the inbred royal families of Europe or ancient Egypt or whatever. Even an occasional marriage of half-siblings or an uncle/niece pairing isn't bad as long as it doesn't become a cultural norm and lead to the kinds of inbreeding we see in the Mideast. Due to generations of inbreeding, at least one in five couples in the Mideast are infertile. While Iran is hated across the region, they operate a number of fertility clinics in Iran and other countries (generally forbidden by Islam) and which are extremely popular with Arabs as well as Persians and others in the region. A lot of people don't know about the Mideast fertility crisis and the Iranian clinics. It's a very interesting but mostly unreported story.
A bit more: marriage-equality.blogspot.com: Frequently Asked Question: Can Siblings Marry? If you wonder about their philosophy, it is this: The global definition of marriage should be as follows: "The uniting of consenting individuals in a witnessed ceremony." We believe everyone has the right to share love, sex, residence, and marriage with any and all consenting adult(s) of their choice, regardless of birth or sexual orientation. So we see the general broad radical agenda of marriage equality. It is not, as generally thought, simply about sodomy marriage.
He claimed he met her in a pub in the 1980s — and had no idea that they were related until a year into the couple’s relationship. By then, he said, they had already fallen for each other.
#2. To: Tooconservative (#1)
Meh. Half-brother, half-sister. Legal in most states
#3. To: cranky (#2)
(Edited)
NJ didn't allow it when i lived there but i heard that might have changed.
#4. To: cranky (#2)
The following is based on my understanding. I’m not at attorney and this should not be considered legal advice.
Can siblings marry?
I’m not aware of any government that will currently marry full-blood siblings or recognize a marriage of full-blood siblings; rather, if it was discovered by the authorities after an official marriage was formed that the spouses were, in fact, siblings, the marriage would be dissolved and considered invalid. If the spouses knew they were siblings when they married, they would be subject to prosecution. If they discovered the genetic relationship after getting married, they would have to file for an annulment or dissolution or risk prosecution.
Where sibling consanguinamory isn’t still banned by law, siblings can have a wedding ceremony and live the married life, although under discrimination, as their government will not recognize their marriage and they will not get treated equally.
Sweden and Brazil will legally marry half siblings under certain circumstances. I’m not aware of any country that currently has more progressive laws or laws as progressive as Sweden and Brazil.
Some siblings report that they have been able to get a marriage license in places like the US based on the ignorance of the authorities, such as the siblings being born in different states or countries and/or not having a shared parent listed on their birth certificates. However, if the laws of that location do not recognize sibling marriages as valid, or if consanguinamory is illegal in that jurisdiction, a marriage license is a potential piece of evidence that can be used in criminal prosecution, and that’s sad.
[UPDATE October 2014: An anti-equality lawyer who has practiced in at least two US states insists that there are at least a few states where same-gender siblings should, by the existing laws, be issued marriage licenses.]
If siblings want to get married, they should be free to marry. Inequality, based on prejudice, is counterproductive. All over the world, there are siblings living as spouses; there always has been, some with the knowledge and support of friends and family, some hiding the full nature of their relationship. Sooner or later, full marriage equality will be in place in more progressive places, allowing siblings to marry without discrimination or fear of prosecution. Let’s make it happen sooner rather than later.
This question may be asked many different ways. Can siblings get married? Can siblings marry? Can a brother and sister get married? Can a brother and brother get married? Can a sister and sister get married? Can a sister marry her brother? Can a brother marry his sister? Can a sister marry her sister? Can a brother marry his brother? Can you marry your sibling? Can you marry your brother? Can you marry your sister? Can two sisters marry? Can two brothers marry? I argue for marriage equality. By that I mean that society and all local, state, federal, and international laws, institutions, and programs should recognize any marriage registered by any persons without restrictions on the basis of race, color, creed, ancestry, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, or religion.
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