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It's okay to marry your first cousin. Discuss.

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Original post by anosmianAcrimony
Why is incest wrong? I'm not saying it's not, I'm just interested to hear you explain it.


Society just looks at incest as being unnatural and distasteful. In some cases some say inbred children may suffer with disabilities or their genes may lack genetic diversity.
Reply 21
Although the risk seems low, it is actually many times the risk if you do not marry your first cousin. Genetic diversity has repeatedly been proven to be better for overall health, as if you inbreed, the risk of your children inheriting 2 faulty recessive alleles (gene) are increased, as they may be passed down in the family. 2 different families are very unlikely to have exactly the same mutations, and the existing ones will eventually be bred out by not being expressed or inherited.

Some royal families in the past have inbred so much (to keep the blood line 'pure' it destroyed their family tree, as their children were so disabled they could not reproduce e.g. charles hasburg- 'did not speak until 4 or walk until 8'

So basically, inbreeding is wrong morally, and risky medically, but its lucky if the children dont inherit any dodgy genes...

but...: WHY TAKE THAT RISK? when there are 1000s of people other than those in your family you could marry???

Source:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/children/11723308/First-cousin-marriages-in-Pakistani-communities-leading-to-appalling-disabilities-among-children.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_II_of_Spain
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by anosmianAcrimony
Why is incest wrong? I'm not saying it's not, I'm just interested to hear you explain it.


Because you have to draw the line somewhere.

Anyways, the Bible condemns incest - Read Levithicus 18:9

If you say that incest is not wrong, then all kinds of other sexually immoral acts could be considered legal. It creates a slippery slope.
morally these days society looks down upon it but it used to be common practice and is not actually a criminal offence and the blood connection is classed as weak enough to not be incestrious
Original post by anosmianAcrimony
Usually when one gives a moral explanation for why something is wrong, it has to do with who that act harms.

In any case everyone is blood related, more or less distantly.


http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a538711/how-age-affects-pregnancy

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/jul/04/marriage-first-cousins-birth-defect

So it's 4% in 40+ and 6% in first cousins
Original post by IseeIceland
So do you disagree with women over 40 having children also?


You can't really compare the two.

See the poster above me for example who explains the difference between the two.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Vicky628
If it risks harming the child, it's wrong


So does a woman over 40 years of age having a baby, alongside numerous other factors. But they aren't stigmatized.
i see my cousins as siblings :/


Those figures are inaccurate. Most sources say 5% for first cousins.
The difference is still negligible.
Original post by k.m.b
i see my cousins as siblings :/


Some people may not?
I have first cousins living all across the world, some of whom I haven't even met yet.
Original post by cosmic angel
Those figures are inaccurate. Most sources say 5% for first cousins.
The difference is still negligible.


Most sources? I cross referenced and found 6%. Not neglible at all, that's double. Say per 1000, 30 versus 60.
i personally wouldn't disagree with marrying your cousin. morally, society believes it to be wrong - being that you share the same 'blood.' personally, i wouldn't marry my cousin - but if two people love each other then they have the right to be together! regardless on whether or not they are cousins!


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Suppose if you like in Norfolk or there abouts it's weirder not to marry your first cousin :erm:
Original post by cosmic angel
So does a woman over 40 years of age having a baby, alongside numerous other factors. But they aren't stigmatized.


That is also stigmatised, but in many cases, you can't help your age... But you can help who you have sex with
Reply 34
Original post by AppleB
No marrying your cousin is disgusting!
you need to be sure to include the 't' in your first word otherwise some people might get confused
Original post by Gaya Ramanathan
Most sources? I cross referenced and found 6%. Not neglible at all, that's double. Say per 1000, 30 versus 60.


That's not what I said. I said the difference between first cousin marriages and women over 40 having children is negligible if 4% and 6%.

You cross referenced? So did I and I found 5%.
Original post by ineedA
you need to be sure to include the 't' in your first word otherwise some people might get confused


Haha made a typo :biggrin:
Original post by cosmic angel
That's not what I said. I said the difference between first cousin marriages and women over 40 having children is negligible if 4% and 6%.

You cross referenced? So did I and I found 5%.


Yeah I did and even if it's 5% that's still 40 versus 50. It's still a marked difference, I mean we're talking about children's quality of life here.
(edited 7 years ago)
listen i understand these r changing times but let's not normalise incest you guys... there's at least a million people to choose from, surely it isn't that hard to find people other than your cousin
Reply 39
Original post by AppleB
Haha made a typo :biggrin:

Rookie error

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