Understanding Bigamous Marriage and Its Legal Implications
A bigamous marriage occurs when a person enters into a second or subsequent marriage while their first marriage is still legally valid and subsisting. This concept is fundamentally rooted in the principle of monogamy, which is the legal standard in many jurisdictions worldwide, including Singapore and the Philippines. When a person marries again without first obtaining a legal annulment, divorce, or proving the death of their previous spouse, the subsequent union is generally classified as bigamous.The Legal Status of Bigamous UnionsIn most legal systems that uphold monogamous traditions, a bigamous marriage is considered void ab initio. This Latin term means the marriage is "void from the beginning." Essentially, the law treats the second marriage as if it never existed. Because the individual lacked the legal capacity to marry again, no…