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Cousin Marriage - What's Science Got to Do With It?
Filed under: In The News
I was raised in a tight-knit family and am still close with many of my cousins. So the thought of being romantically involved with one of them makes me ... uncomfortable. But the truth is 20 percent of marriages around the world are between first cousins.In the United States, however, marriage between first cousins is banned in 31 states. That is, unless the couple is unable to have children or receives genetic counseling. According to the law, cousin marriage is taboo due to genetic risk, not because of the ick factor.
But in a recent opinion piece, two Zoology professors made an interesting point: While there's a slightly increased risk of birth defects when two cousins reproduce, women who have babies after age 40 are in a similar boat -- a 1.7 to 2 percent increased risk of birth defects and 4.4 percent increased risk of death during childhood. As Jane Seymour, Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman and many others know, there are certainly no laws in place banning women who want to be mothers after their 40th birthday from doing so.
So that leaves us in a conundrum. It's almost as if we're hiding our moral stand on cousin marriage behind the guise of science. We don't like the idea of cousins marrying, but instead of saying so, we'll let science do it for us. But recent studies suggest the science isn't holding up. If the risk to the child is small, then should the law have a say in who gets to marry? Why is it acceptable to ban cousins from reproducing, but not a couple over 40? Or couples with known genetic issues?
But yet ... yet, if we're going to let science tell us right from wrong, that creates a new set of problems. As Slate points out, where do we draw the line? First cousins share the same amount of genetic material as an uncle and a niece, or a woman and her half-brother's child. Based on science alone, those relationships are appropriate, even if they make us squirm.
Questions like this one are never as simple as looking at data. Is the cousin marriage ban outdated? Or do laws like this one keep us off a very slippery slope?
| No. It's morally wrong. | |
|---|---|
| Maybe. It makes me squirm, but it's also not any of my business. | |
| Yes. What's the big deal? | |
| Other -- share with us in comments. |
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
1-12-2009 @ 12:14PM
Karen said...Well, first you need to figure out where the ick is coming from. I can't identify a single reason we'd think it was ick if we weren't culturally trained to think that way.
If you reason is...it just is, then maybe you do need to rethink it.
Reply
1-12-2009 @ 7:58PM
Uly said...The difference between cousin marriages and uncle/niece marriages is that there's probably an age difference in the latter, with the uncle being of the parent's generation. And with half-siblings, odds are you were raised together, so the Westermark effect kicks in.
There's little wrong with saying "I just find this icky", but then you have to be honest about that.
Reply
1-12-2009 @ 1:55PM
SKL said...I feel this is a case of religion getting people to do what cold science can't.
It was observed of old that a lot of intermarriage as close as cousins causes problems. There are two things wrong with your "very small risk" argument:
1) That is only talking about the risk of "birth defects," but there are other risks that are also linked to recessive genes that cause problems - for example, learning disabilities, mental illnesses, a disease my cousins have that eventually leads to blindness, etc. When considering all these potential problems, the risk is not "very small."
2) Although the risk isn't large when cousins intermarry once, if it were not taboo, there would be multiple layers of intermarriage which would exponentially increase the risk of problems.
It's a bad idea to marry your cousin and I don't have a problem with having a law against it.
As for the older woman argument, first of all, does that still hold true once you apply (1) and (2) above, particularly (2)? I don't think so. I don't think it's a great idea for a woman over 40 to have children, especially if it's her first child. Should it be illegal? Well, I don't know how you make it illegal to have sex and get pregnant with your husband, but they could make a law against doctors providing fertility treatments. Would a lot of people be up in arms? Yes, based on previous discussions we've had here on PD.
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1-12-2009 @ 2:18PM
Claire said...I may be a little paranoid, but I have had a disabled child, my brothers have also, and it's not something I'd wish on any kid. For us, it's all about auto-immune deficiencies; lupus, RA, even alopecia, etc., but enough so that we wouldn't advise anyone to take such a cavalier attitude. If you insist on being together, fine, who cares, but don't take chances with someone else's life.
1-12-2009 @ 7:58PM
Uly said...Weren't Mary and Joseph first cousins?
At any rate, nothing in the Bible prohibits first cousins from marrying. And for that matter, in this day of genetic testing, why shouldn't perfectly healthy cousins marry? Or, on the other hand, why don't we prevent people who both carry the same detrimental genes from marrying, even if they aren't related at all?
1-12-2009 @ 9:33PM
SKL said...Uly, when did you become an expert on the scriptures? Aside from Judeo-Christian traditions, the Koran also has a lot to say about whom you can / can't marry, as does Hindu law. Basically the law has its root in religion, and in this respect (among others), religion has its root in science.
Science hasn't come so far that a blood test could confirm whether or not a couple share a recessive gene for each and every recessive characteristic. You seem to lose sight of the fact that scientists know just a tiny fraction of what makes the world go round. Especially since they scrubbed out traditional wisdom and started from scratch several generations ago.
1-13-2009 @ 1:42PM
Uly said...SKL, I'm sorry, are our laws being based on the Koran now? And you're okay with this? I must have missed the memo...!
As far as being an expert on scriptures goes, most atheists know more about the Bible than Christians. Kinda funny how that works.
1-13-2009 @ 1:46PM
Uly said...At any rate, it's a bit of a moot point. Islam allows cousin marriages (though it does not encourage them), and Hinduism appears to allow some forms of marriage between first cousin and not others.
So your point is... what, exactly?
1-13-2009 @ 6:44AM
Lucy said...So... what if cousins do have children but are not married? Will CPS come and place these children in foster homes? Sigh.
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1-29-2009 @ 10:41PM
marge said...As a person who works in the field of disabilities I would highly discourage it. On average each person in this world had at least 10 bad diseases or disorders they transmit to their offspring. 'throw in that you significant other is now your first cousin and that is terrible news to your children.
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3-13-2009 @ 2:59AM
dilraj said...I would like to marry, a girl she is, grand daughter of my grand mother's sister.....can I , whats your openion..plz snd me.
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