To: Electronic Telegraph <et.letters@telegraph.co.uk>
Re: The Princes William and Harry a mistake?
Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2000

Dear Sir,

If the Prince of Wales made a tragic mistake in marrying Diane rather than Camilla, as Rabbi Jonathan Romain suggests, then the second and third in line to the throne, the Princes William and Harry, are also tragic mistakes (Let Prince and Camilla marry, urges rabbi, 14 July 2000).

Once a couple have produced children, whether officially married or not, they are in (biological) fact bound together in those children. In its desire to facilitate divorce and play down the importance of parenthood
in the case of one parent families, this is something modern society finds inconvenient to fully acknowledge.

I am not suggesting that a couple in an unhappy marriage should not divorce. On the contrary, I am sure that it is often in the best interests of their children for them to do so. But they still remain bound together and responsible for their children, at least until they reach maturity.

What we need is a new definition of marriage, which makes clear that any couple which produces a child or children is married, irrespective of their present civil law status. Once this has been widely accepted the
law can be changed to fit.

What about pregnancies caused by rape or "misadventure"?

A difficult subject, which can only be decided by the feelings of the woman directly involved.

My view is that unwanted pregnancies are best terminated.