Should first cousin marriage be considered incest?
I am afraid I have to go against the grain of the general consensus here. Cousin marriage is normal in most of the world. It is estimated that 20 percent of all couples worldwide are first cousins. It is also estimated that 80 percent of all marriages historically have been between first cousins! The only western country that has any laws against it is the USA in about 30 states. The laws are not supported by science. These laws were put in place as a classist and racist anti-immigration measure. They were trying to keep out people from countries where cousins were more likely to marry. If you look at states by population however, you find that the majority of U.S. citizens are legally allowed to marry their 1st cousins. As for a huge risk of birth defects – Balderdash. Several important studies have found that the offspring of cousins are only 2 percent higher than normal on average. The National Society of Genetic Counselors estimated the increased risk for first cousins is between 1
