Cousin marriage has a controversial history, once seen as a way to strengthen family ties and maintain wealth and power, but now considered taboo in some parts of the world. It remains an important part of the global marital picture, with around 10% of marriages being between cousins. Legal criticism often centers on genetic concerns and incest laws, but recent studies show the risk of genetic problems is only slightly higher than in cases of unrelated parents. The legality of cousin marriage varies widely around the world, with serious divisions even within the United States.
Cousin marriages, or the marriage of two individuals related by blood through a previous generation, are an issue with a surprisingly wide spectrum of controversy and acceptance around the world. What was once considered a sensible solution to strengthen family ties and keep wealth and power concentrated is now abhorred as obscene in some parts of the world while remaining perfectly insignificant and acceptable in others. Cousin marriage is less prominent in the 21st century than it was in the past, but it still remains an important piece of the global marital picture. According to some estimates, about 10% of marriages in the modern world are between cousins.
Throughout history, cousin marriage has been an important part of maintaining family stability, especially among the royal and upper classes. By marrying within the family, couples again cemented the ties between family groups, ensuring that a fruitful relationship continued into the next generation. The duo that launched Columbus, Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, were second cousins, while the oft-married King Henry VIII’s first and sixth wives were also his cousins. Going back even earlier to the tribal days of ancient history, family marriage, including cousin marriage, served to strengthen ties in times of war and strife, to ensure a strong clan bound by multiple marriages.
Today, legal criticism of cousin marriage typically rests on two arguments: the possibility of genetic repercussions and the extent of incest laws. The genetic concern lies in the fact that people related by blood may be more likely to possess identical recessive traits, such as those for certain inherited diseases, birth defects or deformities. If both parents have a recessive gene, they have a better chance of passing the trait on to their offspring. Some recent studies, however, have shown that the instance of genetic problems caused by inbreeding is only slightly higher than in cases of unrelated parents, or about the same level of risk as in women who have children after age 40. Genetic issues, however, may make it more likely that repeated instances of cousin marriage over several generations will occur, as in the famous case of the European Habsburg royal family.
The incestuous or taboo argument is often more difficult to justify through the law, as it is based on moral relativity. Cousin marriage is not only legal but encouraged in some cultures, while in others it is even banned as not only immoral but also illegal. Even within the United States, there are serious divisions on the issue, with marriage between first cousins legal in 19 states and the District of Columbia, illegal in 26 states, and legal in limited circumstances in the remaining six states.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
