Should it be illegal for 1st cousins to marry?

[brasty]

My DP's parents are 1st cousins, and DP has a genetic illness. Marrying your 1st cousin increases the chances of genetic illness. So I wonder if we should simply make it illegal for 1st cousins to marry? Obviously anyone married would stay so, it would only apply to new marriages.
AIBU?

I agree. Plenty of fish in the sea without going there, tbh.

Am I right in thinking it's legal for an aunt to marry her nephew or uncle /niece?

Also if you were to outlaw 1st cousins ( and let's be honest the royals are often closely related) that's purely on the basis of genetic problems. So would you extend that to same sex couples?

Yes. So an MP in Yorkshire had to resign over this a few years. It was seen a racist attack on the Pakistani community, where in some sectors, this is common.
She pointed the huge health risks, especially of cardiac anomalies and was slated.

I work in the health sector and a significant minority of complex congenital heart disease is consanguinity with first cousin marriages. It still is seen as taboo to mention it.

Cousins marrying (not always exactly first cousins) is very common in a lot of cultures in multiple continents. In some it is actually prescribed. If fact our own royal family used to prescribe it. I do not think it should be made illegal though the risks should be highlighted.

Hmm I'm not sure, as much as I personally dislike the idea (also plenty people have kids without getting married so banning marriage wouldn't stop that). Should we also make it illegal for people with congenital diseases to marry?

Definitely not illegal in ROI. I know married first cousins. It should be though.

Am I right in thinking it's legal for an aunt to marry her nephew or uncle /niece?

Yes, that's illegal.

A couple of interesting links :
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/children/11723308/First-cousin-marriages-in-Pakistani-communities-leading-to-appalling-disabilities-among-children.html

It was MP Ann Cryer who had to resign
www.bmj.com/content/331/7528/1292.1

Or no, thats illegal I should have said.

It's definitely legal here and YANBU. I'm a student children's nurse and it's utterly heart breaking how often I encounter children with multiple issues and complex needs who we later discover have parents who are related.

ILs are from Norfolk and cousin marriages are quite frequent there.

Urgh, I thought it was illegal. Yes it should be. If both partners carry a recessive gene there's a higher risk for the children.

These days it should really be having sex that is the issue as marriage is immaterial to a lot of people's. I don't think that chances of birth defects are that much higher than average when a single set of first cousins have children. Problems only really occur when first cousins In the same line repeatedly marry. A good example is the Spanish Habsburg royal family and in particular Charles II where generations of intermarriage ended with him having horrible deformities and mental and physical disabilities.

Historically cousin marriage has not been common in the U.K. and repeated cousin marriage even less so. legislation hasn't been needed as a result, but it is much more prevalent in some migrant communities which has led to a much higher rate of some pretty profound disabilities. So yes I do agree with you OP.

Don't have a moral problem with it, and I sympathise with people who might be negatively affected. But I think children's health should be the priority.

It is legal here, but it should be banned for health reasons.

I'm a child of first cousins who lived in different countries and had met only twice in their life before marriage and my siblings and I are perfectly well. So, it is a bit hurtful to see that some think it sick.

For those still not convinced of the danger- read the last line:

Research for BBC2's Newsnight in November 2005 showed British Pakistanis accounted for 3.4% of all births but have 30% of all British children with "recessive disorders"

YANBU

Rates of serious genetic defects and infant mortality are far higher in areas of the country where this is common (e.g. In the Pakistani community in Bradford)

My friend has 2 dc's with her 1st cousin. They didn't know each other growing up, if that makes any difference?
I always expect people who married there cousins to be a bit weird, unintelligent, hillbilly types. But they're really not. There not together anymore though.
Their dcs have no illnesses or genetic disorders. They struggle a little at school but there not thick you can hold a decent conversation with them and they don't have learning difficulties but I doubt they would have the ability to become great scientist or anything.
I know a girl who had a baby with her half brother! They are hillbilly types. There dc has severe difficulties

It is to do with rural communities as well. DPs family live in a very rural isolated place. Or to do with small communities where there is a taboo against marrying outside of that community such as the Traveller community. Most British Pakistani origins are from small rural villages. Not from the big cities in Pakistan.

Nothing wrong with marriage it's the having dcs that's the problem!

A Pakistani boy I went to school withs parents were closely related. He had learning difficulties, a cleft, squint eye (don't know which, if any were caused by the parents being related) he was badly bullied with kids saying there was something wrong with him because his parents were brother & sister (I'm sure they weren't but kids exaggerate stuff). Felt so sorry for him.

And, it's about the morality here.

Close cousins can carry the same gene defects and when the two parents are carriers then chances are their children will be affected.

Sorry, not about

I don't think anyone is saying it's "sick" but it might not be genetically wise.

It is legal in ROI - here's a list of the people you cannot marry according to Irish law. Very thorough.
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/birth_family_relationships/getting_married/legal_prerequisites_for_marriage.html

In the travelling community hurler syndrome is something which is common in my area at least.