Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Affinity (law)
open-in-new
<h2 id="terminology">Terminology</h2> <p class="note">Several terms redirect here. For other uses, see <a href="/facts/In-law_(disambiguation)/5wqPb78d">In-law (disambiguation)</a>, <a href="/facts/Daughter-in-law_(disambiguation)/Rxbktvpw">Daughter-in-law (disambiguation)</a>, <a href="/facts/Son-in-law_(disambiguation)/wtUdjkR5">Son-in-law (disambiguation)</a>, <a href="/facts/Father-in-law_(disambiguation)/P4hnK0B7">Father-in-law (disambiguation)</a>, and <a href="/facts/Mother-in-law_(disambiguation)/Slv7rTqe">Mother-in-law (disambiguation)</a>.</p> <p>In law, affinity relatives by marriage are known as affines.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> </p><p>More commonly, they are known as in-laws or family-in-law, with affinity being usually signified by adding "-in-law" to a degree of kinship. This is standard for the closest degrees of kinship, such as <i><a href="/facts/Father-in-law/9gQw6xK0">parent-in-law</a></i>, <i>child-in-law</i>, <i><a href="/facts/Sibling-in-law/5jzXc8l7">sibling-in-law</a></i>, etc., but is frequently omitted in the case of more extended relations. As <i>uncle</i> and <i>aunt</i> are frequently used to refer indifferently to unrelated friends of the family, the terms may be used without specifying whether the person is a cognate or affine. Similarly, the spouse of a cousin may not be called a relation at all or may be referenced as a "cousin by marriage". "By-marriage" can also be used with "uncle" or "aunt", e.g. <a href="/facts/Princess_L%25C3%25A9a_of_Belgium/CpfsRJEK">Princess Léa of Belgium</a> is an aunt by marriage of King <a href="/facts/Philippe_of_Belgium/RMsmI6n0">Philippe of Belgium</a>. </p> <h2 id="examples">Examples</h2> <p>In <a href="/facts/South_Africa/vvXQpLgq">South Africa</a>, sexual relations are prohibited within the first degree of affinity, that is, where one person is the direct ancestor or descendant of the spouse of the other person.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> </p><p>Brazilian law, by the Article 1521 of the Civil Code, also extends the invalidity of marriage between parents and children to grandparents and grandchildren or any other sort of ascendant-descendant relationship (both consanguineous and adoptive), parents-in-law and children-in-law even after the divorce of the earlier couple, as well as to stepparents and stepchildren, and former spouses to an adoptive parent who did this unilaterally (regarded as an equivalent, in families formed by adoption, to stepparents and stepchildren); and extends the invalidity of marriage between siblings to biological cousin-siblings.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p><p>In <a href="/facts/Hawaii/ImxFefeK">Hawaii</a>, sexual penetration and marriage is prohibited within close degrees of affinity and is punishable by up to 5 years.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p><p>In <a href="/facts/Michigan/bCurmfT2">Michigan</a>, sexual contact between persons related "by blood or affinity to the third degree," and who are not lawfully married to each other, are chargeable as criminal sexual conduct in the 4th degree and punishable by a 2-year sentence or a fine of up to $500 or both.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> </p><p>In <a href="/facts/New_Jersey/pI5k19S7">New Jersey</a>, sexual contact is prohibited when the actor is "related to the victim by blood or affinity to the 3rd degree" and the victim is at least 16 but less than 18 years old.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Affinity_(Catholic_canon_law)/SAwNRCGV">Affinity (Catholic canon law)</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Alliance_theory/xetq2yP4">Alliance theory</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Consanguinity/YtPlwcv6">Consanguinity</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Kinship/grXkJ2u7">Kinship</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Prohibited_degree_of_kinship/oD1Sj0qf">Prohibited degree of kinship</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01177c.htm">Affinity (In the Bible)</a> an article from the Catholic Encyclopedia</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Definition of AFFINE". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2024-03-18. <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affine" target="_blank">https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affine</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, 2007, s. 12 Archived 2018-04-17 at the Wayback Machine. <a href="/wiki/Criminal_Law_(Sexual_Offences_and_Related_Matters)_Amendment_Act,_2007" target="_blank">/wiki/Criminal_Law_(Sexual_Offences_and_Related_Matters)_Amendment_Act,_2007</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"Mundo do Direito, da História, da Música e da Literatura". direitomaisdireito.blogspot.com.br. <a href="http://direitomaisdireito.blogspot.com.br/2010/02/situacoes-nas-quais-duas-pessoas-estao.html" target="_blank">http://direitomaisdireito.blogspot.com.br/2010/02/situacoes-nas-quais-duas-pessoas-estao.html</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Direito Brasil – Marriage" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-01-11. Retrieved 2019-01-15. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190111085341/http://www.direitobrasil.adv.br/arquivospdf/revista/revistav42/aulas/Cas20102.pdf" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20190111085341/http://www.direitobrasil.adv.br/arquivospdf/revista/revistav42/aulas/Cas20102.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Haw. Rev. Stat. § 707-741 and 706-660 <a href="http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/histatutes/5/37/707/V/707-741" target="_blank">http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/histatutes/5/37/707/V/707-741</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"Michigan Legislature - Section 750.520e". www.legislature.mi.gov. Retrieved 2022-10-03. <a href="http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(4ncgkt1idp5xpr3lasgtpmia))/mileg.aspx?page=getobject&objectname=mcl-750-520e" target="_blank">http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(4ncgkt1idp5xpr3lasgtpmia))/mileg.aspx?page=getobject&objectname=mcl-750-520e</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2(b-c) and N.J.S.A. 2C:14-3 in NEW JERSEY, Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network[permanent dead link] <a href="https://apps.rainn.org/policy/policy-crime-definitions.cfm?state=New%20Jersey&group=3" target="_blank">https://apps.rainn.org/policy/policy-crime-definitions.cfm?state=New%20Jersey&group=3</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>