Young J L, Griffith E E
Transitional Treatment Unit, Whiting Forensic Institute, Middletown, Connecticut.
Bull Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 1991;19(2):109-18.
Psychiatrists and psychologists provide consultation to the Catholic Church's marriage courts. Operating under the Church's legal code, these tribunals assess the validity of weddings that have ended in divorce. This report describes one of the standards used for this purpose, the lack of due discretion of judgment, which is concerned with the maturity, understanding, and appreciation that the couple brought to the ceremony. This normal capacity is vulnerable to various mental illnesses, which if present with sufficient severity may nullify the marriage vows as seen by the Church (though not necessarily by the state). Such a finding results in freedom to marry again despite the Church's ban on divorce, provided that due discretion of judgment is regained. Case examples and discussion of the assessment process for due discretion of judgment prepare the consultant to apply psychiatric findings to this unique and urgent legal issue.
精神病医生和心理学家为天主教会的婚姻法庭提供咨询服务。这些法庭依据教会法典运作，评估已以离婚告终的婚礼的有效性。本报告描述了为此目的所使用的标准之一，即缺乏应有的判断力，这涉及到夫妻在婚礼时的成熟度、理解力和认知能力。这种正常能力容易受到各种精神疾病的影响，如果病情严重到一定程度，教会（尽管不一定是国家）可能会认为婚姻誓言无效。这样的裁决结果是，尽管教会禁止离婚，但只要重新获得应有的判断力，当事人就有再婚的自由。案例及对应有判断力评估过程的讨论，让咨询师能够将精神病学研究结果应用于这个独特且紧迫的法律问题。
