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

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

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.

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!!!!