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

Those who want to ban it - have you remembered that Queen Victoria married her first cousin?

It’s disgusting and should be banned.

I know it was very common amongst the wealthy in this country but some traditions need to die out.

When they don’t die out on their own quick enough, then they need to be banned.

Should be banned.

The NHS spends millions on dealing with the offspring of consanguineous marriage, and it’s not just birth defects and physical and mental disabilities. Metabolic disease is highly prevalent in consanguineous communities, and requires lifelong management, and potentially medical/surgical intervention. Then there’s heart defects, cystic fibrosis, thalassemia…

In all honesty, if people are daft enough to procreate with their cousins, I think they should pay for their children’s extensive medical care and any genetic testing they need.

I don't think it should be banned - I knew a couple of my mother's generation who were first cousins and their child was perfectly OK.

I'd like to point out that I have a genetic disability but my parent had no way of knowing they were a carrier because it can remain hidden for generations. My parents were from opposite ends of the country and completely unrelated.

It's just the luck of the draw.

I understand some communities don't encourage it but even the ones that have been are seeing less numbers.
This is from research done,which is excellent.
However it is harder to monitor in some communities like the travelling communities.

I had a far removed aunt and uncle who were first cousins, their kids were fine, they’d be about a hundred or so no, Mediterannean family, even in our family it was the first thing people of their age said about them, they are first cousins did you know.

i also think it should be banned.

If genetic issues are known, this is usually managed by IVF with pre-implantation genetic testing which can screen out embryos with genetic defects. The key difference between this and first cousin marriage is that drs can identify the genetic defects to look for when it is a straightforward case of not passing on a disease carried by one parent - e.g. if one parent carries haemophilia, it is very straightforward to test the embryos and not implant those which have the genetic markers for haemophilia.

It is not possible to screen out genetic issues where you don't have a very clear idea of what you're looking for.

"Disabilities aren't always serious" 😮

Disabilities from shagging your family is a 100% avoidable by not doing it.

Its a neglectful, selfish choice when you know the risk.

Same sexed couples aren’t going to reproduce though.

That’s the issue - not falling in love and staying childfree and not hurting anyone.

Most married couples have children.

Genetically speaking the odd one off first cousin marriage within a family won’t tend to cause issues.

It’s multiple generations of first cousin marriage which leaves people with genetic similarities higher than the average siblings, where the issues really arise.

It has (outside of the aristocracy) never been common practice for people to marry their first cousins, although it was once more common than it is now, amongst people who are ethnically and culturally British.

Sorry, should that change my mind? 🤮

Yes - are you saying we should we not ban it because the royal family has done it for generations?

Most wealthy and royals have done this for years but we now the science now and so it’s time for things to change.

It doesn't give me the ick and I don't have a big objection to isolated cases of cousin marriage. What does bother me is when it happens over and over because this obviously increases the level of inbreeding. For that reason, I'm in favour of the ban.

What difference does that make?

The Royals have done a lot of things that most people deem to be morally reprehensible, what’s your point?

Yes. If the reason for banning cousins from marrying (or, more accurately, from having sexual relationships) is 'Well, if you have children they have a higher chance of genetic disorders', then logically you'd also have to ban people with genetic disorders from marrying too. Which is very much edging into eugenics territory and therefore clearly not a legal path we should be exploring.

The reason we don't allow siblings to have sexual relationships is, I think, actually not about genetics but simply about the vast potential for familial sexual abuse to go unchecked, which is presumably less of an issue with cousins.

I mean, personally the thought of marrying a first cousin makes me feel a bit queasy, and I think most people probably also feel that way, really, so I don't think there's much risk of it becoming more prevalent.

I was at school with a girl whose parents were cousins. She wasn't from a south Asian background so it wasn't a cultural norm and the whole family was... quite strange.

If they lied the marriage would be legally invalid.

I think it’s gross, genetically it has all sorts of issues, I believe. Think it should be banned.

Yes, but in communities where cousin marriage is common, the cousins are more than just cousins i.e. they may be the product of cousin marriage themselves and share quite a bit of DNA.

That was over a 150 years ago. If I am not wrong, one of their children had haemophilia.

Exactly. It's a non-issue. It's only an issue when there's years and years of in breeding. It's what a 6% risk compared to a 3% risk. It's nothing.

There's one in my family. They chose not to have kids and just treated us like their own kids.

Haemophilia was rife in her descendants if you include female carriers too.
It's a really strange example to give in favour of cousin marriage.

Yes exactly.

There are entire communities in America where everyone is inbred and have a multitude of issues because of it.

There are 8 billion people in the world... and you marry your cousin?

Yes, it's incest. And burgh...