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Legal Wife Rights
Legal Wife Rights
Contrary to popular belief, being legally married is not just a piece of paper. It can provide wives a ton of legal
rights that can protect them as needed. So legal wives, here are some of your rights
The commitment to say “I do” brings the hope of a successful marriage. Unfortunately, in this age
when broken homes have become all too common, marriage requires hard work – a part of it is to
accept the fact that something may come up and destroy the union and the commitment you’ve
made with your spouse. Wives, in particular, should be aware of their legal rights. When cheating or
death occurs, what do you do? What do you get? What are your powers? Knowing your rights as a
legal wife is a powerful knowledge that will come in handy when unfortunate events happen.
As a legal wife, you don’t have to live through the nightmare of abuse. You have the power to save
yourself and your children from harm caused by an abusive spouse. Abuse – whether it be verbal or
physical – is already considered a crime under the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act of
2004. You don’t need to be battered to file a case. Psychological abuse – one that is “causing or
likely to cause mental or emotional suffering of the victim such as, but not limited to, intimidation,
harassment, stalking, damage to property, public ridicule, or humiliation” – is enough to file a case
and to request a protection order against your husband.
One of the most important rights of the legal wife is the claim to conjugal properties. Except only
when a prenuptial agreement was signed, anything you and your husband owned at the time of
marriage, plus properties you have acquired during the marriage are considered conjugal property
or community property. As long as you’re still the legal wife and the contract of marriage still binds
you together, you have a claim over your marriage’s conjugal properties even if you and your
husband are no longer living together.
In Case of Death, the Right to Claim Husband’s Remains
As long as you’re not yet annulled, the legal wife will always have the right to claim the remains of
her deceased husband. This right doesn’t take into consideration whether you are still in good terms
or already living separate lives for many years. As long as the contract of marriage still binds the
husband and wife, the husband’s remains automatically go to to the wife.
As long as the legal wife and spouse are still married, the wife has the right to ask for spousal
support (also known as alimony). The law clearly states that one of the obligations of married
parties is to support family members, including the spouse. This right, however, is denied from the
offending spouse. The only ground for the wife to not be eligible for spousal support is when she is
guilty of abandonment – an act of leaving the home for three or more months without letting the
other party know of her whereabouts. The act of leaving the home to escape an abusive spouse is
not considered abandonment and the wife has all the rights to require her spouse to give alimony.
This responsibility is stopped once marriage is annulled.
They say the law is unfair to women, but fortunately, it can be fair for the legal wives. Through their
legal rights, wives will no longer be silent victims. With the help of the law, the wife can fight and
claim for what is rightfully hers.