Cousin marriage

[Mahammad]

what makes cousin marriage taboo in the west?

 

[Supernaut]

what makes cousin marriage taboo in the west?

It depends how close in the bloodline that you are with that cousin and if it is heterosexual. If you are heterosexual and the cousin is first or second, then the genetics are too ?similar? and might result in the deformity of children (if children were desired). Aside from that....we're all a bit weird in the west....

 

[Mahammad]

It depends how close in the bloodline that you are with that cousin and if it is heterosexual. If you are heterosexual and the cousin is first or second, then the genetics are too ?similar? and might result in the deformity of children (if children were desired). Aside from that....we're all a bit weird in the west....

Is there any proof that first Cousins have a high chance of getting deformed children?

 

[TheBlueBlurr]

It depends how close in the bloodline that you are with that cousin and if it is heterosexual. If you are heterosexual and the cousin is first or second, then the genetics are too ?similar? and might result in the deformity of children (if children were desired). Aside from that....we're all a bit weird in the west....

The chances are really low though

 

[TheBlueBlurr]

Is there any proof that first Cousins have a high chance of getting deformed children?

No.

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source...q=cousins+having+children&fp=b36c7832dbb01be6 tons of articles saying it's LOW RISK.

 

[Mahammad]

No.

Google tons of articles saying it's LOW RISK.

Well, I know many people whom's parents are first cousins and they all are fine.

 

[underpressure]

If two consenting adults want to be together, I think it is entirely their business, no one should say you can't, whether they be brother/sister, male/male, female/female, black/white and so on.

It's worth baring in mind though, if you do have children with your cousin, due to the fact you wont have as much genetic diversity there is an increased chance the child will have genetic disorders. That said, you take a risk your child might have some problems no matter who your partner is. Another thing to bear in mind, although there isn't any concrete evidence for this and it is very subjective, if you have a child with a close relative they do tend to turn out hideously ugly.

First cousin marriage is legal in most countries, or it is in mine anyway, although it isn't very common.

 

[RealityPixie]

It would seem it all comes down to inbreeding. There may only be a slight risk of genetic abnormality in the children when incest has not been much of an issue in past generations. However, it would seem that in most societies in which the marriage of cousins or other relatives is acceptable, there would be a significant history of incest and genetic risk already. For example, look at the genetic problems of pure bred dogs. They are often bred with close relatives to try and keep breed 'pure' many generations, and many suffer significant consequences with there health. It is common knowledge that dogs with greater genetic diversity (ie, mutts) are generally healthier. Indeed they are even cheaper to insure than their pure bred counter parts. One can only imagine that this would be a good indicator of the problems that inbreeding can cause in animals, including humans. Perhaps if it was more common to have relatives marry there would be a much more noticeable increase in genetic abnormalities, but as this has become a taboo in western society the genetic pool is widened and such problems don't cause many issues.

 

[moonkitty]

I come from an old southern family, and I do have a few distant cousins who are married to each other. These are older couples who married back in the 1950's. I have only met them once or twice.

I personally would not want to marry any of my cousins cause most of them annoy the heck out of me. LOL. I think maybe that is why more people in the west don't like marrying cousins--they are trying to get away from their extended families. HAHA.

In all seriousness, among my many, many cousins I don't think there is one I could marry--even if he wasn't my cousins. I love them cause they are family, and I'd help any of them if they needed it. But I wouldn't marry one of them.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Well, I know many people whom's parents are first cousins and they all are fine.

First-cousin marriage isn't a surefire recipe for congenital defects. True, marriage among close kin can increase the chance of pathological recessive genes meeting up in some unlucky individual, with dire consequences. The problem isn't cousin marriage per se, however, but rather how many such genes are floating around in the family pool. If the pool's pretty clean, the likelihood of genetic defects resulting from cousin marriage is low.

I'm sure there are brother-sister couples that have produced normal children as well.

It's all on what the society votes on as being "decent".

When you elect people who want to define things like marriage for the entire country, these are the debates that come up.

 

[Archer93]

what makes cousin marriage taboo in the west?

It isn't that taboo in all of the West. It's sometimes seen as a bit odd, but it's not only not illegal in the UK at least, but not seen as particularly squicky.

It's more of a running gag about European aristocracy, and why they're perceived as being- well, a bit odd.

There can be a genetic risk, but so can there be for unrelated couples as well. If both people are carriers for a particular genetic disorder, then suggesting adoption might be advisable for the couple, regardless of any consanguity.

Please note as this might go off topic, I am not suggesting that people who are carriers for genetic disorders should not breed, just that if there's a particularly high risk of the disorder manifesting in any children they might have, it might be as well not to risk it and to channel their parenting instincts into providing a home for a child who need adopting.

 

[OllieFranz]

Up until the Age of Exploration, most marriages were consanguineous to one degree or another. For peasants, the only option would have been other peasants in the same village. Assuming a village has 100 peasant families, and each peasant family has 5 children and for the first few generations no one marries incestuously, then within three or four generations, all the new children will be cousins to one another to some degree.

The local gentry would be in a better position, marrying further afield, so it would take more generations but not that many more to saturate the population.

And this is without considering mistresses and prostitutes and all the children born out of wedlock which spread their fathers' genes through the population even faster.

Even after the Age of Exploration, since marriages continued to be between families that knew one another, consanguinity still grew within communities.

For example, most of my Massachusetts Puritan ancestors lived in one city (although two sections later broke off and became separate towns as the city grew). Even assuming that most of the families were strangers when the town was founded, which is probably unrealistic, and taking into consideration the gradual influx of new immigrants, most of the city was interrelated by the early 1800s. My great-great-great-great-grandparents were distant cousins in three different lines when they married. Their consanguinity was actually a touch closer than 2nd cousins.

Modern incest concerns are about consanguinity because of the increased chances of any detrimental genes within the family bloodline being passed on (like hemophilia in Europe's royal families). But the Biblical "incest" laws in Leviticus were not concerned with consanguinity, but rather were about not imitating the pagan practice of keeping adultery in the family and/or protecting the marriage value of the family's virginal daughters.

That consanguinity was not an issue is shown by the marriages of the patriarchs: Jacob's wives were his first cousins on his mother's side, and only slightly more distant on his father's side, since Rebekah and Laban were Isaac's cousins. It is not entirely clear whether Sarah was Abraham's half-sister or his niece (or both), but she clearly was too closely related for modern incest laws.

 

[lawtonfogle]

Is there any proof that first Cousins have a high chance of getting deformed children?

Yes, but we are talking a very small increase. It is about the same as the increase in birth defects for having children when you are old, yet no one frowns upon that practice. As to your original question, people find it icky, so they find ways to justify making it a taboo.

 

[aandb]

Personally, I just think it's kind of gross... but that is just me. Whatever floats your boat.

 

[HisLittleHazelnut]

Actually, I just got married and was surprised to see that in California you can marry your first cousin.

I think it is because California is so ethnically diverse and some cultures do prefer cousin marriages.

 

[Fenny the Fox]

I think it depends on the people in question.

I have known people (in my family) who were married as first cousins.

From what I have seen, the majority of people just see it as a bit odd. Not really any more than that.

 

[Washington]

Came across the following, which is kind of interesting, particularly Minnesota's approach.


Cousin Marriages: Marriage License Laws


Note: All states allow the marriage of second cousins.

•Alabama: First cousins, yes.

•Alaska: First cousins, yes.

•Arizona: First cousins, yes, only if they are over a certain age or cannot bear children. Half cousins, yes.

•Arkansas: No

•California: First cousins, yes.

•Colorado: First cousins, yes.

•Connecticut: First cousins, yes.

•Delaware: No

•District of Columbia: First cousins, yes.

•Florida: First cousins, yes.

•Georgia: First cousins, yes.

•Hawaii: First cousins, yes.

•Idaho: No

•Illinois: First cousins, yes, only if they are over a certain age or cannot bear children.

•Indiana: First cousins once removed, yes, only if they are over a certain age or cannot bear children.

•Iowa: No

•Kansas: Half cousins, yes.

•Kentucky: No

•Louisiana: Marriage between first cousins is not allowed.

•Maine: First cousins, yes, only if they are over a certain age or cannot bear children, or if they get genetic counseling.

•Maryland: First cousins, yes.

•Massachusetts: First cousins, yes.

•Michigan: No

•Minnesota: No, unless aboriginal culture of the couple permits cousin marriages.

•Mississippi: Adopted cousins, yes.

•Missouri: No

•Montana: Half cousins, yes.

•Nebraska: Half cousins, yes.

•Nevada: Half cousins, yes.

•New Hampshire: No

•New Jersey: First cousins, yes.

•New Mexico: First cousins, yes.

•New York: First cousins, yes.

•North Carolina: First cousins, yes. Double first cousins are not allowed to get married.

•North Dakota: No

•Ohio: No

•Oklahoma: Half cousins, yes.

•Oregon: Adopted cousins, yes.

•Pennsylvania: No

•Rhode Island: First cousins, yes.

•South Carolina: First cousins, yes.

•South Dakota: No

•Tennessee: First cousins, yes.

•Texas: No.

•Utah: First cousins, yes, only if they are over a certain age or cannot bear children.

•Vermont: First cousins, yes.

•Virginia: First cousins, yes.

•Washington: No

•West Virginia: Adopted cousins, yes.

•Wisconsin: First cousins once removed, yes, only if they are over a certain age or cannot bear children.

•Wyoming: No


source​

 

[plmarquette]

you need to do a little work in genetics....
recessive genes, are brought to the surface, by interacting with other recessive or mixed genes....
Homozygous...BB...dominant bb....recessive....or mixed Aa....heterozygous

Many diseases are expressed by depleting the gene pool...small closed cultures ...by ghetto, traditon/ culture/ location/....ie...amish/mennonite settlements....everyone is related to every one....will not marry outside of faith, outside of settlement....

start seeing a large number wearing glasses...., suceptive to certain disorders....like cycle cell anemia in some African countries....

see Mendel's studies on flowers; Hunnington's Chorea ; Down's Syndrome; Turner and Clinefelder's syndrome....

 

[Caitlin.ann]

I don't see a problem with it though its not for me.

 

[Starcradle]

what makes cousin marriage taboo in the west?

An unwillingness to objectively investigate the matter, and merely parroting what one has been taught. "Eww, that's gross," while perhaps an understandable sentiment, is not an argument based upon facts. It is fine if one does not desire such a relationship, yet berating those who do and mentioning "two headed" children is not an intelligent rebuttal. Unfortunately, these types of reactions are quite common.