To think that 1st Cousin Marriage should be illegal

[stucknoue]

Background: as part of my job I rent out halls, they are very popular for Asian parties and weddings and my clients are lovely, often bringing me food and inviting me to their celebrations.

Over the past couple of months I've unfortunately had to rent the hall for child funeral meals twice to the same family, the kids were cousins and had the same rare genetic condition. In talking to their grandad he revealed that he and his wife were cousins, then going on to tell me that the parents of the sadly deceased children were also cousins. I looked up that cousin marriage increases genetic conditions 3 fold, the more generations that have practiced it then the higher the probability. With our knowledge of science surely this practice should be outlawed?

Fuck off about the racism angle. It’s a classic case of facts don’t care about your feelings which the Trans Lobby refuse to acknowledge.

Even if you take the stance that the government shouldn’t interfere with peoples cultures from a hard nosed money perspective it costs the NHS a fortune treating preventable conditions and then morally what about the poor kids who have to suffer from something they had no choice in the matter of? Ok people don’t deliberately ‘choose’ their kids are disabled but they do choose to give no fucks to the massively increased risks

I meant to say I'm not surprised it is legal in many countries if siblings are consenting adults. Obviously there is an increase risk of abnormalities it they have children but I that doesn't mean sex itself should be punishable with a prison sentence. If it wasn't illegal more could perhaps be done to make people aware of the risks so that they used effective contraception.

Ok people don’t deliberately ‘choose’ their kids are disabled but they do choose to give no fucks to the massively increased risks

Lots of people in the UK choose to have a baby knowing the risks associated. Some choose to continue a pregnancy knowing that the child is affected. I doubt anyone seriously says they give 'no fucks', but they make a choice based on what they believe to be the best (whether society agrees or not is another matter). Re the cost to the NHS, it is dwarfed by the amount spent on obesity and smoking relating illnesses.

'That reminds me of when a very young ds told me he was going to marry his (male) best friend when he grew up. Dd said he couldn't as they were both boys and in fact the law had just changed so I took the opportunity to explain it. He then changed his mind anyway and announced he'd just marry his sister instead.'

Reminded me of the following that I overheard:

3-year-old girl: I'm going to marry my brother when I grow up.
Nursery school teacher: I'm afraid you can't marry someone in your own family.
Girl: But my Mummy married my Daddy!

Racism is a complete red herring here because if one white english man marries his cousin then it is so unusual culturally that it wont be repeated again in subsequent generations. I was watching an australian programme insight andca man had married his cousin and he and his wife were planning that their son marry a cousin too!!! That is just asking for genetic problems but they were shrugging over it. It was normal to them. Common sense cant go out the window jut to avoid being labelled racist.

Yanbu

Thinking about this, I don't think the fact that the risk of abnormalities if children are born is a reason for making sex between two consenting adults illegal whether that is cousins or even siblings. Many drugs cause birth abnormalities but we don't arrest the people taking them if they have sex. They are just entered into a "pregnancy prevention program" where they are made aware of the risk and have to use contraception deemed effective.

Having sex no, but getting married ... ?

Presumably they can get married in another country or via a religious ceremony so making marriage "illegal" between cousins would be pointless. I can't see any justification for making sex between two consenting adults illegal either.