Abstract

in canon marriage law and in Polish family law legislator seeks to
protect prospective spouses from entering into a marriage under duress. He predicted in canon law – a defect of canon marital consent in Cann.1103 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law and in Polish family law – a defect of declaration of marriage in Article 151 Par. 1 point 3 of The Family and Guardianship Code. Regulation of impact of coercion and fear to canon marital consent is essentially similar to regulation of threat as a defect of declaration of marriage. In both systems, risk shall be serious and danger shall be severe. In canon marriage law fear shall come from the outside and in Polish family law state of fear is caused by threat, which also by its nature comes from a person other than a forced prospective spouse. However, under Polish law estimated fear is legally irrelevant but it is considered to be a defect of canon marital consent.