In recent news, I was astounded that a woman in France, named Karen Jumeaux, was allowed, with French president Nicolas Sarkozy’s blessing, to marry her boyfriend. To be more exact, her dead boyfriend. I had to check several sources, and yes, her boyfriend had been dead for two years (English version article – for those who want to read it in the original French, lookie here). At first, I thought it had to be a joke or prank of particular bad taste, but after reading it from several sources, I was baffled to discover that it might actually be true.

As I see it, marriage is a legally binding commitment contract between two consenting adults, regardless of gender. Adults being of legal age of majority (usually over 18), and consenting being agreeing to enter the contractual relationship at the time. And in my eyes, the contract would be terminated upon death (the whole “till death do us part” bit) or mutual agreement (divorce), even though the second should rather be avoided if possible.

Since one side (now Karen’s husband, unfortunately) is already dead, and no longer capable of consenting or signing any contracts of any kind, the purpose of this whole ordeal is senseless, to say the least. And in the strictest sense of marriage, she would actually be a widow even before the wedding took place.

Even though the government defined that if she should find someone else, she would have to get a divorce (since her husband is already dead), this wedding shouldn’t have been allowed to happen in the first place.

Basically, if this marriage should be allowed, well, then they should also allow businesses to enter contracts with deceased people who showed their intention to sign a contract with said business, as long as the business can prove this, thereby getting money from the deceased person’s estate every month/year/whatever.

If that last scenario sounds idiotic to you, that’s because it is. And it’s the same thing with the marriage that happened earlier this week. The whole thing is just mind-blowing. Moronic at best. Dead is dead. You can’t change that.

And to Karen Jumeaux, and others in (almost) similar situations, just live your life with your good memories of your deceased partner. Don’t try to perpetuate something that cannot be, just accept the fact and move on with your life. And Karen, you already managed to have a son with your boyfriend before he passed away – isn’t that enough? Do you have to burden your son, both in his present and his future, with all this? Just leave it alone, as many others have done before you.