A FATHER AND daughter in an incestuous relationship are battling Spanish authorities for custody of their child.
Three weeks ago, the 18-year-old woman from the island of Mallorca, named only as Sara, gave birth to a baby girl.
The father was her own father, a 36-year-old man, named only as Cris, in an interview with the local Cronica Balear newspaper.
This makes the newborn baby Cris’ daughter and granddaughter, as well as Sara’s daughter and half-sister.
English language news website The Local explains that incest, in and of itself, is not illegal in Spain, once it involves the consent of both parties, and that the age of consent is 16.
Sara told the Cronica Balear that she was 17 when she became pregnant by her father.
Before the birth, the 36-year-old man’s ex-wife (herself Sara’s biological mother) reportedly accused him of child abuse before local social services, and the baby has been temporarily taken into the care of the state.
In response, the father and daughter couple have decided to go public, protesting what Cris calls the “moral judgement” behind the decision, and saying their admittedly “unusual” family set-up is preferable to the alternatives available.
As translated by The Local, Sara told the newspaper:
My relationship may be unusual but it would be worse for a child to be given up for adoption or grow up in a centre.
People say it’s is wrong, well I respect their opinion but I do not care.
The easiest option would have been to have an abortion but we decided to have our baby because we don’t care what people think.
Cris, describing their relationship as “unique and loving”, said “it started as they all do, with flirting, getting along and then trust.”
We may be father and daughter but she has never seen me as a parent because I am much more like a friend than a father figure.
On Tuesday, after media coverage of the case, the Mallorca Department of Social Affairs (IMAS) released a statement clarifying the rules and procedures surrounding custody of children, although it did not explicitly refer to Cris and Sara.
In the case of children in situations of neglect, IMAS is the body responsible for declaring a situation of abandonment and assuming guardianship of minors…
In other cases it is parents or guardians who request that IMAS take custody of children in extreme circumstances…
Moreover, in certain circumstances, there can be a risk, as defined [in law] of circumstances where familial conflicts or social and educational deficiencies could harm a child’s personal, familial, social or educational well-being or rights.
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