A woman in the US says she is willing to risk imprisonment to marry the man she loves - who happens to be her son.

Monica Mares, a 36-year-old from Clovis, New Mexico in the US, faces up to 18 months in jail if found guilty of incest over her relationship with her birth son, Caleb Peterson, aged 19. He also could be imprisoned if convicted.

The pair told the Daily Mail that they plan to fight for their right to be in a relationship - and have even appealed to the public to fund their legal battle.  

Mares, a mother-of-nine, told the paper:

"He is the love of my life and I don't want to lose him. My kids love him, my whole family does. Nothing can come between us not courts, or jail, nothing. I have to be with him. When I get out of prison I will move out of Clovis to a state that allows us to be together."

https://twitter.com/IceTrends/status/763075190695747585 The couple say their love is a form of Genetic Sexual Attraction (GSA), which is defined as "an attraction between close relatives, such as siblings or half-siblings, a parent and offspring, or first and second cousins, who first meet as adults." Mares gave birth to Peterson when she was 16, and named the baby Carlos before giving him up for adoption.

The made contact with one another over Facebook last year. Mares met him for the first time in 18 years last December at his adoptive home in Texas.

The relationship became sexual a few weeks later. Mares told the Mail:

"At first I told him, 'I'm sorry I don't know how you are going to react to this. I'm your mom and you're my son, but I'm falling in love with you'. And he said, 'You know what I am too. I was scared to let you know'. He was falling in love with his mom and I was falling in love with my son.

'We talked about it and we took off to the park. I said, 'Would you ever date your mom?' And he said, 'Would you ever date your son?' And I said, 'Honest truth, yes I would'."

The two started living together in New Mexico, but when police found out about the relationship last February, they were arrested and charged with incest. They now face a trial by jury next month.

As it stands now, Mares is not allowed to see any of her children or have any contact with Peterson.

"It is every bit worth it. If they lock me up for love then they lock me up," she said.

Cover image via Daily Mail Video.