Kissing Cousins Want Respect, And Legalized Marriage Too
November 27, 2009 4 Comments
A New York Times article published this week looks at the stigma that surrounds cousin marriage in the United States.
With 10 per cent of marriages world wide taking place between cousins, what is the harm? Well, genetic deformities are killing people in the Arab world.
We meet some couples in the article who share the hurt and shame that comes with their relationship. Although these marriages are outlawed in 24 states, the author seems to imply that it is merely society’s ignorance allowing this inequality to continue.
The risk of birth defects among first cousins are about as high as a child born to a mother over the age of 40.
A widely disseminated study published in The Journal of Genetic Counseling in 2002 said that the risk of serious genetic defects like spina bifida and cystic fibrosis in the children of first cousins indeed exists but that it is rather small, 1.7 to 2.8 percentage points higher than for children of unrelated parents, who face a 3 to 4 percent risk — or about the equivalent of that in children of women giving birth in their early 40s. The study also said the risk of mortality for children of first cousins was 4.4 percentage points higher.
The articles skips over the impact this can have across generations.
In the Arab world it is common to marry first cousins. This tradition pre-dates Islam, in fact the holy sermons of the Prophet Mohammad Hadith state that “close marriages will often produce weak children.”
The percentage of first cousin marriages is approximately 11.4% in Egypt, 21% in Bahrain, 29% in Iraq, 30% in Kuwait, 31% in Saudi Arabia, and 32% in Jordan. As a result the region has some of the highest rates of genetic abnormalities in the world. According to the Centre for Arab Genomic Studies:
Consanguinity is linked to high incidences of congenital malformations, mental retardation, and disability. Studies indicate that in populations where the practice of inbred marriages is high, the frequency of homozygosity for autosomal conditions and the incidence of congenital anomalies, abortions, stillbirths, and early childhood deaths are expected to rise.
While two cousins from average families can have children who are fine, the practice cannot become common place because it is when the practice is tolerated in society that the problems start.
An average of 30% first cousin marriage in a population would increase the birth prevalence of many conditions by 5-15 times and their collective frequency by 5.5 times. Frequent consanguineous marriage increases the incidence of autosomal recessive disorders by 5-10 times at the population level. When first cousin marriage is considered, the risk of recessively inherited disorders is multiplied by 15-30 times; hence, doubling the total frequency of congenital and genetic disorders.
Sure, the US is no where near having first cousin marriage account for 30 percent of marriages, but the laws are in place to prevent these problems from arising.
I wish these people nothing but happiness in their relationships, but I can’t agree with giving them the right to wed.
That makes sense for the breeders.
But here’s the BIG question- as gay marriage becomes more acceptable and widespread would it be ok for gay cousins to marry?
Not much chance of Billy-Bob and Jim-Bob having kids with congenital deformities!!!!
Dan, I do think that is a valid point. As a supporter of gay marriage, your comment raised some serious issues in my mind.
What would be the difference between allowing gay marriage and allowing cousins to marry? While I personally don’t believe that cousins should marry, particularly for the health risks of their children, I also believe that you can’t help who you love.
Perhaps marriage between cousins should be allowed. If people are aware of the complications and stigmas, who are we to tell them not to marry the person they love? This is what gay marriage supporters are currently fighting right now, and it seems awfully hypocritical to allow one group of society to marry, but not the other.
Val, My comment was entirely facetious- the incidence of gay cousins wanting to marry would have to be low enough to be irrelevant.
The main difference between gay marriage and [straight] cousin lovin’ is that a gay couple cannot have kids without external help.
In a natural environment, inbreeding is not a problem- It either gives the offspring an advantage and they thrive, or it gives them a disadvantage and they die.
Within our society, it is a different story. Advances in medicine have reduced selection pressure, and allowed mentally, physically and genetically disadvantaged people to survive and reproduce. This is a double edged sword.
The negative side is that genetic conditions that once existed at minimal levels are becoming more prevalent and placing a burden on families and public health systems. The positive side is that there are individuals within the broader group of ‘disadvantaged people’ who make a huge contribution- Stephen Hawking is an example (although it’s important to note his particular circumstances, MND, have little to do with this discussion)
So the question is an interesting one- Marrying cousins has always been outlawed on moral grounds due to the long held knowledge of increased likelihood of birth defects. If you are lucky enough to live in a country with a publicly funded health system, that’s fair enough.
But, if people are prepared to foot their own medical bills (or let nature take it’s course) should they be allowed to inbreed?
HELL NO!
IMO anyone who is dumb enough to want to marry their cousin should be prevented from breeding with ANYONE.
There are enough morons out there, they’re outbreeding intelligent people, and our society is structured to encourage this imbalance. It’s a very scary prospect, especially when you live in a democracy.
Look at George W. – A man of limited intellectual capacity, elected by people who could relate to him. Sure he was just a puppet, and there were bigger brains in the background, but those brains were not representing the people. The dumb-ass was representing the people, and the brains were representing the other, more powerful interests. Ironic eh?
Righto. off topic again. better stop before I tell y’all what I really think
First cousins marrying is legal in over half the states of the USA including California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. State like Maine allow it with exceptions. It is illegal in states such as Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Mississippi.
It has not always been outlawed and still isn’t. In Judeo-Christian teaching it is not covered in the list of forbidden relations, although the Catholic church only allows it with special dispensation.
Queen Victoria is an example as well as Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and Edgar Alan Poe