Should incest really be illegal?

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The (slightly) increased risk of the children being born with abnormalities? So many genetic diseases out there are passed on with no opposition whatsoever. Family trees with a lineage of miscarriages from the mothers does happen. HIV? Cancer?

I think a big issue with incest is that amongst some groups of people, it tends to be practised as part of their culture, instead of being a one-off abnormality. For example, people prefer to marry close relatives so that they don’t have to pay dowries, to keep wealth and inheritance within the family, or due to mistrust of people from outside of their own family etc.

A single instance of someone having sex with a relative may be quite harmless in terms of passing on genetic diseases into offspring. However, inbreeding over several generations is significantly more dangerous as the risks increase exponentially with each generation.

I think a law against incest is useful because it inhibits and counteracts the general cultural acceptance of marrying and breeding with close relatives, which could lead to generations of inbreeding. It also provides clearly defined parameters as to what is acceptable and what isn’t, so that the risks are well contained and tackled early on before they become an issue.

Reply 41

Anonymous 73

The risk isn't just slightly increased. It is increased manyfold - medical student

Reply 42

Anonymous 73

Original post by Joel 96

I can't really see a justification for the ban of two adults consenting to sex, who just happen to be blood related. This isn't a subject I get passionate about or anything, but I really can't think of a good enough reason as to why incest should be banned.

Your opinion on the act being disgusting isn't good enough to me. You may find beetroot disgusting, but that doesn't justify banning it. The (slightly) increased risk of the children being born with abnormalities? So many genetic diseases out there are passed on with no opposition whatsoever. Family trees with a lineage of miscarriages from the mothers does happen. HIV? Cancer? All those are somehow passable, but incest? Nah, we'll ban that based on our subjective view that it's disgusting and gross.

The risk is exponentially increased, my friend, genetic variation is reduced and genetically recessive diseases will increase in great number. Also, if this is allowed, a lot if people will just stick to having sex with their own family and also rape will increase alot too.