Incest - Right Or Wrong?

[suedonim]

I was quite intrigued to read this story about two siblings in Germany who are seeking to overturn the laws on incest. Are their civil rights being breached or is the law there for a good reason?

Oh Fio, how sad that they have disabilities. I agree with your re. not treating these children as outcasts. It isn't their fault.

Agree with zippitippitoes.

Fio re the 3 boys, yes they need as much support as possible.

In defence of the Queen and Prince Philip they are actually 3rd cousins.

Most 3rd cousins are complete strangers and are only linked by their great-great grandparents.

I'm not a royalist by the way I just like family trees.

Yes, they are distant cousins, but there is and has been masses of inbreeding in European royal families. Actually upper classes in general, it was a way of keeping it in the family, as it were.

Fio, are the sibling parents also learning disabled? In the case of the German couple the woman and I would guess the man too have learning disabilities (she can't read or write) and come from a family with disabilities of various kinds. It's very sad. But not usual. And of course, the German couple did not grow up together.

Eluesis - yes I remember the x files about the incest family - gosh that was so creepy.

I think what disturbs me most is that these german parents are seeking to have the law changes, as if to say it's normal and right for syblings to marry and procreate. It's not. It's a very bad thing. And what about their children, should they do the same?

It is very sad to hear about things like Fio's story of the 3 boys.

What about the syblings/parents who create these situations? Are they sick? Or should they be held accountable in some way?

I don't even like the third cousin thing. It's very icky, even if you are Queen... or should I say especially if you are Queen?

most people wouldn't have a clue who their second or third cousins were

I bet you have no idea who your third cousins are or even how they may be related to you. Think that comment is completely OTT to be honest. First cousin marriage is not illegal here either.
In several European countries incest is not a criminal offence anyway. This bloke has had a vasectomy now so I think they should be left alone.

You'll lose that bet, Aloha. I can give you an extensive family tree on both sides of the family right back to the time of the Mayflower. I can trace my roots to the American revolution seventeen times on my mother's side alone. (I'm sure they are all less than impressed that I have returned to the mother land and joined the Church they fought to separate from).

However, I appreciate I do know more about my family roots than most people.

Somehow I bet Elizaeth and Philip both knew that Queen Victoria was their Great Great Grandmother. yuk.

Oh come on, 3rd cousins marrying each other is hardly noteworthy or problematic.

Well, this isn't really about tird cousins. It's syblings asking for the change in the law after they have 4 children that I have a problem with.

I doubt if the law will be changed..it's not in this country is it?

Fiofio, they do look for genetic conditions using 'pedegree analysis' (awful name!).

Basically if you carry a genetic trait, the rest of your family is more likey to carry the same trait, than the rest of the population is IYSWIM.

and if the trait is recessive, you need two copies to 'get' the condition.

Marrying a cousin isn't as 'serios' genetically as marriebning a sibling. But repeated marriage of cousins by a group of people over a period of time, can lead to a higher incidence of genetic problems

How awful Ruby. I would guess though that the kind of families in which girls are abused by their fathers are pretty chaotic and I doubt those poor girls were taking folic acid, eating the proper foods, going to antenatal yoga etc, to put it mildly.

Changing the law is not going to change behaviour in this area IMO.

Some fathers will still rape their daughters. You don't need an incest law to deal with this.

If you RAPE your daughter, niece, step-daughter, etc you are committing a far greater "sin" than incest. You are a rapist.

I find it strange that anyone would argue against changung the law in Germany on this. Do you really think hundreds of Germans will all of a sudden shag their sisters the minute incest law is changed or abolished there ?

Yes, I remebemerd that you sister had CF.

I hope it isn't out of order for me to say that I 'remember' your sister every time I teach the genetics of CF. She and you have been much in my mind recently as I've been teaching it to the sixth form. daft, I know, as I have never met you or your late sister, but your writing about her has really made a lasting impression on me.