To be disturbed by wilfull ignorance around genetic inbreeding?

[M9009]

I've come from a country were cousin marriage and indeed marriage to any close relative if illegal.
I've recently started working in a dialysis unit and I'm so disturbed by how many parents are young children born of first cousin marriage. Usually from South Asian backgrounds.
Today I was speaking to one parents who has 9 children, all in need of kidney transplants. The eldest 2 have already had theirs. Parents are first degree cousins and each have various medical problems of their own.
Why, as a society, do we allow these marriages? It seems so cruel to the children who are born with medical and genetic problems.
Maybe I'm easily shocked, I don't know.

Do travellers see a lot of resulting genetic conditions?

So what exactly is “Hmm…Iqbal Mohamed. Funny that isn’t it?” about?

And who told who they were racist because I’m still not seeing it in the quote you included.

It was so very sad to see children suffering from something so preventable. Its been a while since I watched the documentary, but if memory serves a lot of the marriages were because they didn't want to dilute their genetics with outsiders and there was dowry issues etc

How does that work if the children from these unions end up being so profoundly disabled they can never be in a position to have their own children and the “blood line” ends

Don't think so based on empirical evidence I've seen but happy to learn otherwise

I think you'll find that those findings had a little agenda all of their very own!

Yes it’s becoming a real issue in some parts. But some cultures believe that God decides whether the children of such marriages are sick or not.

I do think first cousin marriage should be outlawed, with marriages prior to the ban remaining legal of course. But people don’t want to touch the issue.

It’s awful but very cultural. It destroys lives and costs a heck of a lot of money from the taxpayer.

I haven’t called anyone racist and I really don’t know what you’re on about.
Unless you are one of those people who projects your own thoughts onto others.

Anyhoo back to the thread..

Certain disorders do cluster in certain traveller clans apparently - https://www.orpha.net/pdfs/data/Cns/Protocol/IE/ID115626NW.pdf

https://jmg.bmj.com/content/55/4/233

Yes and it’s bollocks because you can’t reliably screen for inbreeding related disabilities

I did work experience at a GP practice in 1997 when I was 16. At the time, a very long document was shared with the practice detailing the increased risks of genetic disorders for children of cousin marriages and the studies to prove it. I read the whole report as it was fascinating at the time to see the evidence. It's such a shame that knowing that nothing was done. I'm of South Asian heritage and feel it should be made illegal. In nearly 30 years nothing has changed. Make it illegal and it will make people think twice. Those poor children that have to suffer because of their parents lack of education. We are so scared to criticise anyone even if they are doing something wrong.

I don’t think education will help the women who are not given much choice. Not do the men have much choice often.

i work in early years SEND education and it’s well known and covered anecdotally in a lot of training. Rarely is it in the actual presentation or textbook. People are scared of being called racist. But it’s obvious when the first MAKATON signs for foods are culturally not British and are taught in levels 1&2 and the British foods don’t come in till later levels.

However I do agree with a pp who said where do we draw the line allowing people to marry when we kown there is a higher likelihood of inheriting problems. When does that become stoping groups of people having children?

I have been told that in Iceland you can get an app so that when you meet someone super in a bar, you can quickly find out how you are related to him or her before starting to date.

Iceland was presumably aware there was a problem with everyone being related to everyone else to some degree!

Yup, I was told truth: https://supertravelr.com/en/trip/iceland/iceland-is-so-small-theres-an-app-that-keeps-icelanders-from-dating-their-relatives-B8D7BFDAF9/

A walk around a graveyard in a town here with a traveller population would answer that for you.
Desperately sad.

It’s like wading through custard.

You made a point. I asked you to clarify your point. You pretended not to know what I’m talking about and attempted to deflect. I asked you to clarify your original point. And now you’re deflecting again. It’s almost as if…you don’t know what you’re talking about.

Thank you. Yes, it is slow. But to reassure you further, my cousin is actually a Doctor now and working in the NHS. He is staunchly against first cousin marriage and advocates against it regularly within the community and is not alone.

I didn't mention but we are from Bradford. Therefore, we have a full lived experience of the devastation this can cause to young children who are born with genetic disorders stemming from multiple generations of cousin marriage. All to soothe egos of the elders who thought 'better the devil you know' and who want their own to take care of them when they are old.

It was over fifteen years ago, when we were told to get married and we refused. The fallout was tough but bearable.

The upcoming generation have a lot more backbone then my generation did and I think thats because of the options that come with their education, the fact that it is much harder to force someone to marry these days and the education authorities now have regarding these issues.

That makes me feel a bit better, thanks 🤣

Good point, kind of defeats the purpose

It's the biggest cause of SEND presenting children in schools. In areas where there's no demographic that favours first cousin marriage there are far fewer children who are compromised. In areas like Bradford, Birmingham etc it's a massive problem

That makes a lot of sense as a reason not to ban.

However I do think legal changes can help as well. Everyone knew smoking and passive smoking was bad for you before the smoking ban, but it really dropped after that, and became a lot easier to object to people smoking / less socially acceptable to smoke publicly. I wonder whether legal changes as well as education would make it easier for people to push back in their own families / community.

🙄🤔
pottymouth40 · Today 21:26
It was basically shut down for being racist.

Isn't that what happened the Habsburgs?

One word: Haemophilia.

Funnily enough nearly 200 years later, we have learnt a lot about genetics. Amazing!!

Will read. Thank you.