Law favors life, liberty, and dower.

Explanation

(English-origin maxim — no Latin equivalent; the English title is the original form.) In every doubtful case, the construction that preserves life, protects liberty, or secures a widow's dower is preferred — these are the interests the common law guards most jealously.

Where this applies

• An ambiguous penal statute could impose either a fine or imprisonment, and the court construes it in favor of the defendant's liberty by applying only the fine.
• A contested will provision might either grant or deny a widow her share of the estate, and the court reads it to protect the widow's dower because the law favors dower.
• A statute of limitations is unclear about whether it bars a wrongful death claim, and the court resolves the ambiguity in favor of preserving the claim because the law favors life.