A recent Supreme Court case highlights how a person making a
will can legally stipulate conditions on those who are to benefit
from their estate. A father refused to leave an inheritance to four
of his children unless they converted from Jehovah's Witnesses
to Roman Catholic within three months of him dying. The will also
said they'd miss out if they didn't go to his funeral.
They went to the funeral but didn't convert. As a result
they were excluded from the inheritance.
The children went to court and argued the stipulation for them
to convert was "against public policy", that is, against
a person's right to freedom of religion. The court held that
even if this were held to be true, it did not overrule the
willmaker's right to testamentary freedom - the right to decide
what happens to his own property.
