The Baha'i Studies Listserv On 10 Apr 2013 at 16:25, Gilberto Simpson wrote:
> The Baha'i Studies Listserv > it's my understanding that in a Bahai marriage, the consent of the parents > is a very important requirement. My question is, for the purposes of > marriage, is it the birth/natural parents who give consent or it be > adoptive parents / legal guardian or something else? Generally speaking, adoptees do not need anyone's consent, as legal adoption in Western countries generally involves the parents renouncing all rights. However there is no provision for an adoptive parent to acquire the right to give or decline consent to the adoptee's marriage. The most directly applicable policy on this point is this: The House of Justice has also ruled [in another case] that where, in > signing the documents giving her child for adoption, a mother has agreed > that she would be permanently deprived of her rights as parent or guardian > and has no right to see the child, get in touch with him or have him > returned to her, she has, in the eyes of the Baha’i law, disowned her child > and her consent for his marriage is not required. This would also apply in > the case of a natural father. > This . . . is quite distinct from the situation where parents have had > their children fostered by another family by an agreement under which they > do not give up their rights and obligations as natural parents. Under such > a situation the consent of the natural parents would be required. > In no circumstances can the responsibility for giving or withholding > consent for marriage be transferred to the foster parents.” > (From the Universal House of Justice, November 18, 1986, to a National > Spiritual Assembly) > There is a more recent and more detailed letter on parental consent issues in general, but it does not contradict the 1986 policy. I have the letter in the documents archive on my blog, see http://senmcglinn.wordpress.com/documents-archive/the-marriage-law-and-parental-consent-2010/ __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:arch...@mail-archive.com Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:leave-696249-27401.54f46e81b66496c9909bcdc2f7987...@list.jccc.edu Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to ly...@list.jccc.edu Or subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st News (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
