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 don't think it's morally wrong to have genetic tests to seek to avoid having a child with some of the conditions mentioned on the thread.

I gave the example of the FLDS (and agree they only have 10,000 + members so they are not a major group) because religiously they see the disabled children (caused by the close relatives marrying) as a blessing as indeed do plenty of religions.

Oh gosh Francis, they were very intermingled. Second cousins and third cousins once removed!

Ew yes , it's incest and has potentially horrible results for any children both physically and with the social stigma

Banana was the Tay-Sachs testing done for free via NHS or did you have to ask (and pay)?

It was automatically done in Israelnfor my first child even though OH is Sephardi (but I'm from UK and Ashkenazi). Just wondered how it's done here. Although, now I think about it, no-one asked when I was pregnant with my 2nd here (so I guess I've answered my own question!)

Royals have different rules?
At least they weren't first cousins. Our history books tell us Nikolai II was supposed to marry someone else, but he apparently said either Alix or no one. His father still said no, but then his father suddenly died and he managed to get his own way, tragically for his family and for the country.

here that is what I thought you were saying.
That there ARE fewer people with ASD in Russia and that is because no one marries their cousins?

So how do you explain the cases of ASD in communities that have never married their cousins?

I can assure you that there are lots and lots and lots of people in Russian with ASD.

www.rightdiagnosis.com/a/autism/stats-country.htm

Particularly if you take into account that the diagnosis has only been officially recognised for about 10 years.

I think its worse in the asian community as one of the big reasons its done is to keep family property and wealth in the family. Who gives a crap about potential disability as long as you keep your houses and jewels hey?

People aren't being judgy by feeling repulsed. You can't help how you feel. In some communities it is acceptable in others it's more of a taboo.

I don't think it should be illegal. But in communities where it is common occurring over generations, and leading to those high levels of children with disabilities there should be education.

I think that's a vast oversimplification of the motives for it, wizzy. And it is prevalent in specific Asian communities, not all Asian communities.

@BagelGoesWalking it is possible to access Tay Sachs carrier testing on the NHS, but that relies on you knowing about the importance of getting screened - which is down to community education, it's not something that'll ever be mentioned by the NHS at any point

http://www.jnetics.org/screeninganddtesting/taysachsscarrierscreeningg__

Carrier testing for other Jewish genetic diseases is only available on the NHS where there is a strong family history
_
http://www.jnetics.org/screeningg_andtesting/carrierrtestingforrother_jdgs

It came up for us in our non NHS infertility treatment, where the private clinic had an ethnic origins form, and recommended genetic counselling to those from an Ashkenazi Jewish background. DH isn't Jewish but something like CF isn't linked almost exclusively to the Ashkenazi community in the way that Tay Sachs or Canavans are. My mum wasn't Jewish but turns out I am still a carrier for Gauchers disease. This prompted me to tell my brother and SIL to get tested, as she is from an Ashkenazi family.

Francis,

I already explained - he wouldn't have ASD if it wasn't for his tumours. If he didn't have his main genetic condition, he wouldn't present as autistic either. He is also epileptic etc, it's all tag along with his main genetic defect. It's like people with Down's syndrome are more likely to have a congenital heart defect.
I don't know any people/children in Russia who have ASD as their main condition.

Charles Darwin married his first cousin #evolution

I don't know any people/children in Russia who have ASD as their main condition

Why do you keep repeating this as if it significant?

They genetic test routinely in certain communities (mine!) for thalassemia if you are likely to have the trait and you have a child with someone who has the trait.
This is the same as for sickle cell, which is similar.
Prognosis is really poor in both conditions.
As a result in Cyprus the prevalence of thalassemia is now much reduced.
It is free to do on the NHS here.

TheFirstMrsDV,

No, I wasn't saying or even thinking it before this thread, just started rambling and writing as i go along mostly because someone on the thread mentioned that they discovered that their not very distant ancestors married blood relatives, and it made them wonder if it had something to do with their DC's having ASD. That made me go, hang on, I'd never met autistic people in Russia, but constantly hear about it here and personally know a couple, could it actually be something to do with relatives marrying?
I was careful to say it was only personal and anecdotal and that actually I have no idea how things really stand... it's just that causes of autism are still often a mystery to doctors/families etc.

I'd never met autistic people in Russia, but constantly hear about it here and personally know a couple, could it actually be something to do with relatives marrying?

In how many different ways can I answer that 'NO'?

The reason why you don't meet any autistic people in Russia is a. you haven't lived there for 12 years and the diagnoses has only been recognised in the last 10 years or so.
b. there is huge stigma attached to disability in Russia
and C (this is a biggie) There are whacking great Orphanages in Russia where they still put autistic people and never let them out again.

I think your cousin theory is probably somewhere down at Z. in the list of reasons why you don't know any Russian people with ASD.

Francis
I just give up.

It is legal in some countries but it's gross. First cousins share about 12.5% (may be less) of the same DNA..