In the USA the close relative marriage prohibition is actually a tax code law to prevent the tax free transfer of property. It has nothing to do with reproduction or genetics.
A light read of the history of family law indicates marriage was a vehicle used to transfer ownership of property. Women could not legally own property and they could not receive their inheritances unless they were married. Then their inheritances would go to their husbands (the family).
The reason a virgin bride was required by men who owned property was to be sure his property was not inherited by a child fathered by some other man.
Marriage at one time was a status but was reduced in time to a contract. Marriage is the only contract entered into by two people that they can not release themselves from by mutual agreement.
It is legal for first cousins to marry in some states of the USA.
gb
Marrying a cousin
by A_Revelation 36 Replies latest social family
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garybuss
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ErieGuy
It's a smaller world than some folks might think.________
I met my spouse in college. We were from towns about 100 miles apart, and neither family had immediate relatives in the other town. Years later while doing some geneology searching, I discovered that my spouse and I share great-great-great-grandparents._________
Another person I know moved from StateA to StateB, where they met and married a person who had moved to StateB from StateC. Couple years later at a family reunion they discover they have common great-grandparents in StateD.__________
I know a couple that met and married in college that later discovered that their parents had been next-door neighbors (roughly 500 miles from the college) when they were each 3-4 years old, and they had "played together" as young children.___________
I know a male (with very loose morals) who while traveling out-of-town picked-up a "younger-thang" at a bar and took her back to his hotel room for sex. Per his own story, while engaging in drunken sex, it started dawning on him that this girl's face looked somewhat familiar. He stopped mid-stroke and started questioning her about her last name, to which she eventually admitted lying about. To make a long story short, he (mid-20s) was banging his own 18-19 year niece whom he hadn't seen in several years.________
I know another male who also picked up a "younger-thang" at a bar while on a business trip who turned out to be a daughter of one of his employees.
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christie
I'm not a JW, but I have been asked the question about the JW perspective on cousin marriage a number of times. I'm still looking for the answer.
I can, however, answer a number of other questions. Yes, you can marry your first cousin throughout Europe.
As for birth defects, there is a background risk of 3% that applies to all of society. First cousins have an additional risk of up to 2.8%. But to put that into perspective, you have to understand how genetic defects occur.
The offspring of first cousins are at higher risk for recessive disorders. Recessive gene disorders are the least common cause of birth defects. It requires that each parent carry an identically defective gene at the same location in the DNA. If both parents are not carriers of the same defective gene, the child is not at any increased risk.
Understand, everybody carries recessive genes. The question is whether they are harmful or not. For instance, if a couple who both have brown eyes produce a blue eyed child, it is the result of a recessive gene. If a couple both carry a gene for Tay-Sachs disease, this would be an example of a harmful condition for which their child would be at an additional risk. In general, if there is no family history of a recessive gene disorder in the MUTUAL family branch (which accounts for most of us) then the child would have the same chance of inheriting a birth disorder as the child of two unrelated people.
By the way, I noticed someone brought up Hemophilia in the Royal family. Hemophilia is not recessive, it is x-linked (or gender linked). The prominance of Hemophilia is in no way a result of cousin marriages. I know, my 5th grade textbook said otherwise too... but genetic science has disproved this theory and most textbooks no longer associate the risk with consanguinity. It was a disease carried by the females and passed on to the males. Any female carrier has a 50% chance of passing it down, regardless of who she marries.
A number of factors are much more likely to cause birth defects in children. For examples: a mother who smokes cigarettes is just as likely to have a disabled (mentally or physically) child as first cousins; a teenage mother is three times more likely; a woman over the age of 35 is thirty times more likely; and a woman over the age of 40 is 100 times more likely to have a disabled child.
If you take a look at the website www.cuddleinternational.org (Cousins United to Defeat Discriminating Laws through Education) you'll find information on the following topics as follows:
Overview of genetic risks: http://www.cuddleinternational.org/genetics/overview.html
Comparison of birth disorders and their causes: http://www.cuddleinternational.org/genetics/birth-disorder.html
US states that allow cousin marriage: http://www.cuddleinternational.org/laws/law-index.html
Detailed explaination and comparison of US Laws: http://www.cuddleinternational.org/laws/laws-explained.html
International Laws: http://www.cuddleinternational.org/laws/international-law.html
Judeo Christian Perspective: (other religious views available from the menu) http://www.cuddleinternational.org/religion/biblical.html
Survey for public opinion: (please take the time to look over some of the site's information before responding!) http://www.cuddleinternational.org/interact/generalsurvey.html
Survey for cousin-couples: http://www.cuddleinternational.org/interact/cousinsurvey.html
The site also has petitions, a chat room and message board, information to make couples more comfortable with telling the family, resources, brochures, and more. The site's purpose is to raise public awareness, educate others about these marriages, and initiate change in discriminating laws. It is also approved by a number of experts in the medical, educational, and religious professions, including a Canon (Catholic) Lawyer. (Catholics can marry cousins provided they apply for permission from the diocese.)
Edited by - christie on 8 August 2002 17:8:51
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Nirvana Girl
I'm not Jehovah's Witness either.
To Mulan who said that "In the US, it is not legal to marry a first cousin, so they went to Canada, where it was legal at that time." : It is legal in Canada still to marry a first cousin. In the United States, there are states where it is legal to marry your first cousin. You can marry your first cousin in the following states: AK, AL, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, MD, MA, NJ, NM, NY, NC, RI, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA and Washington DC. In some places like Utah, Indiana, Illinois, Arizona, and Wisconsin require that the couple be sterile/unable to have children in order to be allowed to marry. Second cousins and so on are able to marry in all states in the US. [www.cuddleinternational.com]
"The frequency of cousin marriages in the USA is about 1 in 1,000 " http://www.cousincouples.com/info/facts.shtml
Marrying a cousin is legal in pretty much all parts of the world, except for certain states in the US.
In the Old Testament, Isaac married his first cousin, Rebecca, and Jacob married his two first cousins, Rachel and Leah. Many famous people married their cousins and produced bright children. Albert Einstein is an example.A_Revelation, if you're worried about genetic defects, consult a genetic counselor. I'm sure they would help. There is a woman who is pregnant that is a friend in the UK who went to get her check up and she told her doctor that she and her husband were first cousins. The doctor replied something like "so are my husband and I". Being married/cousin relationships is not as uncommon as one would think.
Anyways, if people are interested about cousin couples and relationships and want facts, visit these excellent websites: www.cuddleinternational.com and www.cousincouples.com. One is a site mainly dedicated to educating people on cousin relationships and changing laws and the other is mainly a support site for those involved in cousin relationships or were involved in a cousin relationship.
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forgetmenot
All I know is that it truly is a small world after all. I grew up in a small town in a less populated county in the Western United States. If I talked to some one for maybe less then one minute, I'd figure out that they were somehow related to me. That's what happens when your great-great-grandmother was born into the biggest family in the county. It's kinda cool growing up to know that you're related to your best friend but not so cool when you're looking to date somebody.
Doesn't the risk of having babies with birth defects increase tramatically when your parents were cousins and you marry your cousin, too? I thought that's where the real problem kicks in.
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christie
if there is a history of genetic disorder in the family tree, then yes, more than one generation of cousin marriage could dramatically increase the risks for each generation that did so. but recessive genetic disorders don't just spontaneously appear in a family tree. although genetic mutations are possible, a recessive condition STILL requires inheriting the same mutated gene from each of your parents. so in general, the only second-generation cousin marriages that have a dramatic increase of risk is if the mothers or fathers of the two first cousins were identical twins.
however, in some countries where marrying a cousin or other relative (i.e. aunt, uncle, etc) is the preferred cultural standard, it can be quite a different story. in those countries, there have been consangunieous marriages for generation after generation after generation... in those cases, the genetic similarity between two first cousins is usually much, much closer than their biological kinship. those cultures do have a much greater incidence of birth disorders, partly due genetics, but also influenced by a number of other factors. for more information on how and why some cultures have more birth defects, check out www.consang.net.
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A_Revelation
id like to thank everyone for such an interesting and helpful topic
Mark