Half-siblings with two children together fighting for right to marry

Half-siblings in Spain who met as adults and have had two children together are now fighting for the right to get married.

Ana Parra's father abandoned her when she was a child. Growing up with her mum, she knew she had a half-brother but did not meet him until she was 20 years old.

"My mother told me that my father had left us to start another family and that he had had another child," she told media in Barcelona Province.

Daniel Parra added, "Someone had told me that maybe I had a sister out there, but my father never told me, it was something he wanted to hide."

Instant attraction

After tracking down her half-brother on Facebook, Ms Parra eventually met Mr Parra and the pair felt attracted to one another. "We didn't want to realise it, we were angry with ourselves because it was hard to admit and break that taboo: we are siblings even though we didn't feel that way."

• Shock twist after 65-year-old millionaire marries 16-year-old schoolgirl

• Woman reveals why she married her step-brother: 'Confused and in love'

• Aussie beach marriage proposal goes wrong in front of shocked onlookers

She shared details of their first intimate encounter, telling local media, "We were partying, we approached each other slowly and gave each other our first kiss."

Ms Parra recalled the mental torment they both experienced following the incident. "We went our separate ways, we were somewhat ashamed of what had just happened," she said.

Romance developed abroad

"That kiss broke all barriers, marked a before and after, it was like a reality check," revealed Mr Parra.

After just a few days, the half-siblings felt they couldn't carry on without seeing each other again. "Imagine liking a girl and, for a moral reason, being forbidden to be with her. It's really hard to deal with," Mr Parra declared.

The pair started spending time together without revealing to others that they were romantically involved. It was only after a trip to London, where they could behave like a normal couple, that they decided to go public with their relationship.

Backlash after going public

"That was the first time we can say that we behaved, in public, like a real couple," Ms Parra said of the trip. "We went out to dinner, we took walks. It was like an explosion of freedom."

Incredibly, the couple decided to go public on TV. "We didn't feel like telling everyone our story one by one, so that's why we decided to tell it this way," Ms Parra shared.

They were quickly met with a deluge of criticism online. "There are people who have written to us on social media telling us that we're going to burn in hell," revealed Ms Parra.

Kids 'perfectly healthy'

But that did not deter the couple, who now have two children, aged five and three. The kids know their parents are half-siblings "although they're still very young and don't understand", Ms Parra told local media.

Despite the higher risk of being born with a recessive disease due to their parents being genetically related, the kids are "perfectly healthy", Ms Parra confirmed.

Sibling couple calls for law change

Although incest is not a crime in Spain, the Spanish Civil Code prohibits marriage between direct relatives. The couple is now fighting to be able to tie the knot in their own country.

"Societies must advance and not cling to traditionalism. Homosexuals were also not allowed to marry and now they can," Ms Parra argued. "We love each other and that is what should prevail. We are not harming anyone. That is why we want people to know our story."

- Newsflash/Australscope

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.