1st cousin marriage

[Wiseplumnet]

AIBU to ask your opinion on 1st cousin marriage?.I have read that the government is looking to ban it. I know it is more prevelent ( but declining) in the UK among people of Asian origin. I am not coming from a judgemental or racist angle. I am just interested to know how mum'snetters of all ethnicities feel about marriage between 1st cousin's. I know it used to be more common in the west at one time, apart from keeping money/property in families, people travelled less widely, so there was less choice of marriage partners.I worked with a girl ( White British) who was in a secret relationship with her 1st cousin and they are very reluctant to tell their family, so there seems to be a cultural taboo in 1st cousins being romantically involved.Genetic factors resulting in disabilities (statistically twice as many as in unrelated parents) is sometimes given as a reason for banning cousin marriage, however we have genetic screening now, and disabilities aren't always serious.As so many babies died in infancy before we had vaccines, better health care etc , it was probably difficult to differentiate whether the close relationship between parents was the cause of any disabilities their children . Speaking for myself,I can't imagine wanting to marry any of the cousins I was brought up with as they seem more like brothers to me, but I could understand why someone may be attracted to a 1st cousin who they first met as adults. Or does it give you the instant 'Yuk' ? Also is banning 1st cousin marriage the same as banning 1st cousin sexual relationships and children, or would that become illegal? Maybe there's no need for a legal ban as the tradition will just die out over time

But the Tories didn’t try to change anything in the last 14 years they were in power?

It’s weird how it’s always Labour’s fault.

I think it's incest, whatever the law says.

She didn’t call anyone racist.

Not sure anyoen is saying it’s Labours fault

but left leaning parties have courted the Muslim vote it’s no secret and now the Greens are

My mum was from a Mediterranean country and marriage between first cousins, although not banned was frowned upon. I remember one of her male relatives having to leave the country and came to live in the UK as he and his fiancé had been ostracised by both their communities and the church as they were first cousins.

I had a teacher who married her first cousin and her child had numerous disabilities. We were told by another teacher who was quite vicious in her condemnation of first cousins marrying.

I don’t have an opinion either way but do feel for Asian women who are forced into marrying cousins so they can stay here.

I don't think genetic testing is more prevalent per se. It's pretty standard to have the major whole gene triplications tested for like downs. But things have to be pretty concerning to get something like full array which is what we have had ( disabled child) but only us (me dh and kids) have had it. So if ds married first cousin we had zero idea if cousins share that duplication.

There's a a reason why evolution wants you cast your gen̈es wide.

But why zero expectation om Tories and only lamenting Labour?

And given some of the comments by Boris, Rishi, Kemi, et al about Muslims, why would Muslims vote for them?

I don’t agree with it but don’t think it should be banned as I think it’s state interference. I know of a few couples who are married to their cousins who try out any genetic issues but I suspect that they have been lucky or chosen to have testing before they decided to have children. My cousins are an extension of my sibling relationships so would be unthinkable to me. I also find it quite sad that the focus tends to be on Asian families when familial marriages are also common amongst Jewish and traveller communities. I spent more than a decade working in child services so used to come across these situations often.

Implied, I think.

Starmer’s gov blocked a vote on a PMB from a Conservative MP

It was a response to my post that was a response to question why some MP’s are against banning first cousin marriages

I wrote that it’s likely they have to appeal to voters …

Labour and now the Green have courted the Muslim vote, it’s not unheard of parties courting a particular groups of voters. And there is a high number of Muslims married to their first cousins

The Tories could have had the PMB when they were in power.

They had 14 years.

I know a (white, British) couple who are cousins. They seem happy, their kids are 'different', but also quite successful academically. But of course it's odd, there are reasons why pretty much all societies tend to avoid it

Well Labour blocked it recently so aim your ire at them.

Why has every thing got to be well Tories didn’t do it or did do it

at times it’s just the issue that is becoming more prevalent that due to pressure from groups or professional bodies it gets to parliament regardless of who is in power

it’s been a discussion for a long time but maybe now there is just more pressure on the government to make changes

What has that got to do with now though? I never understand how what happened in the past has any bearing on the here and now. I don’t care what the Tories did 14 years ago. I only care what the current government elected in the last cycle has done.

I don’t think you can say that it’s because they are courting the Muslim vote.

The Tories didn’t try to change the law in their 14 years in power, were they also courting the Muslim vote.

Exactly. More people want it changed so Labour shouldn’t block it.

All this harking back is unhelpful on these threads. And I agree re voting blocks.

Because posters made it about Labour courting the Muslim vote.

Some would say that it’s pretty cynical of the Tory MP to bring out the PMB now.

The Tories have always been very supportive of Isreal that will never go down well with many Muslim voters

It’s not 14 years ago. They could have done it in 2024, when they were still in power.

Yet it’s always Labour’s fault.

You do know Labour are in power and as said chose to block the bill.

Have you ever considered that there might have been a little less understanding of genetics 180 years ago>

Developing the theory of the principle of evolution and scientifically proving with DNA evidence the biological mechanism of how it functions are not remotely the same thing and you’d know that if you had the faintest idea what you’re writing silly comments about.

Has it occurred to you that Darwin might have had some difficulty in comprehending the genetic implications of cosanguineous procreation when he married his wife in 1839 or, indeed, when he published On the Origin of the Species in 1859 given that Miesheer didn’t discover the existence of DNA until 1869; the mapping of individual genes to specific functions began with Thomas Hunt Morgan’s work and Alfred Sturtevant’s work in 1911 and 1913 respectively; the double helix wasn’t discovered by Rosalind Franklin until 1952; and the first gene causing human disease wasn’t mapped until 1983 (Huntington’s disease, discovered by Dr George Huntington)?

Do you actually know anything about science or is this just more deliberate disingenuous nonsense and misrepresentation? Or are you alleging that Darwin had also developed time travel?

Utterly absurd comment.

Not sure what Israel has to do with it.

they could have but didn’t. But that doesn’t mean they don’t support it now. What has what they did or didn’t do in 2024 got to do with now? They have a completely different leader than they did at the last election.