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Marrying in the Family : Biology Disputes Taboos Surrounding 'Kissing Cousins'
ABCNews ^ | 3/5/04 | John Stossel

Posted on 03/05/2004 12:25:23 PM PST by ZGuy

Everyone wants to fall in love; it's the stuff of movies, songs and dreams. But what if you fall in love with your cousin?

For one couple, romance bloomed among two cousins who met as adults after a 20 year absence.

"We ran into each other, at a family reunion," Christie Smith told ABCNEWS. "And we just struck it off."

Smith said marrying her cousin Mark brought concerns.

"It was very scary, at first. I thought that it was something that was very wrong," said Smith.

Einstein Kissed His Cuz

Cousins who fall in love have a right to voice concerns. After all, marrying a cousin just isn't done, right?

At least that's what we're taught to believe. Only primitive people who live in isolated places marry cousins, and it's dangerous and leads to creating stupid children.

Or does it? A new study reveals the genetic risks associated with this type of pairing are not as great as once believed.

And consider this — Albert Einstein's parents were cousins, and he married his cousin, too. FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt were cousins, so were Prince Albert and Queen Victoria and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was briefly married to a second cousin.

In America, marrying your cousin is legally allowed in 26 states and every year about 200,000 cousins wed. Worldwide, it's much more common — 20 percent of all married couples are cousins. In some Middle Eastern countries, almost half of all marriages are to cousins.

Those Who Say ‘I Do’

But in America, cousins who find love also find public resistance.

"The overbearing concept is that, you know, 'cousins can't get married,' " said Brian Wagner, who has been married to his cousin Caren for 12 years. His dad and his wife's mom are brother and sister.

"Some people see it as 'inbreeding,' or, you know, 'incest,' or something terrible like that," said Wagner.

Caren said she didn't plan on their shared future, although her mom noticed they always liked each other.

"They played together, they fought over toys together. And they just had a happy good relationship as kids will," said Pat Bradfield. "They were real kissin' cousins."

They initially grew up in the same area, but Brian's family then moved away. Years later when Caren decided to visit, their lives changed.

"When she showed up at the airport terminal and come off the plane, it's just like everything came rushing back again," said Brian.

"It developed beyond a 'friendship,' into a 'OK, do you want to get married this weekend or next?' " said Caren.

Her mom says the idea "floored" her a bit, but since she couldn't stop the marriage she was leery of voicing opposition in fear of losing contact with her daughter. Instead, she offered some advice.

"In a marriage such as you're contemplating, you have to remember that you could divorce your husband but you can't divorce the whole family," said Pat.

They did lose one friend who, Caren said, they just didn't hear from anymore after they announced their union.

Legality of the Marriage

Twenty-four states still forbid cousin marriages. The United States is the only country in the world where these laws still exist. "A lot of these laws have been on the books forever and they have just not gotten changed," said Brian.

The laws date back hundreds of years to the time when the Catholic Church campaigned against cousin marriages because in the Bible Leviticus says, "none of you shall approach to any that is near of kin."

Regardless, Caren and Brian had a church wedding in Virginia, one of 26 states where cousin marriage is legal. "We talked to our minister … and he knew and he didn't have an issue with marrying us," said Brian.

Biological Implications

One of the reasons cousin marriage is taboo, is the assumption they will have kids with birth defects.

But a new groundbreaking study funded by the National Society of Genetic Counselors revealed that some beliefs about cousin marriage are unfounded.

Robin Bennett, who headed the study, told ABCNEWS the risks of having a child with a cousin are about "2 to 3 percent" above the average population's risk for having a child with birth defects or mental retardation.

She says while there are risks, they're "not as bad" as people perceive. Other risk factors are higher. For example, there's a 10 percent chance that a 41-year-old woman will give birth to kids with chromosomal defects.

If one parent has a genetic disease, like Huntington's, they have a 50 percent chance of passing it on. Bennett gives parents the risks but would not tell them not to have kids. She advocates that cousins who are romantically involved have genetic counseling before they're pregnant.

Brian and Caren went for counseling, and were told the risk for birth defects was low, but their kids might have asthma which runs in the family.

They now have two boys, ages 12 and 8, and both have asthma. But they don't think twice about their parents being cousins. They're also at the top of their classes in school.

The rest of the family has come around and say they couldn't be happier with how things have worked out. Ultimately, Caren and Brian say it may have been their family connection that led them to fall in love.

"We could communicate," said Brian. "We had the same values, as far as raising children … It's a match."


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: incest; lawrencevtexas; slipperyslope; stossel
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To: giotto
I don't think the risks are all that low --- cousins would share (in most cases) TWO grandparents. That makes the risk about 1 in 8 of both carrying the same defective gene. In cases where cousins are from two brothers marrying two sisters --- double cousins --- the risk is much higher. Second cousins only have about a 1 in 16 risk of carrying the same defective gene which is about the same risk you have with a total unrelated stranger. Hybrids are healthier.
41 posted on 03/05/2004 2:58:08 PM PST by FITZ
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To: yle1138
I'm southern and I must admit my cousin is a total babe. What's a redneck spose to do! Just kidding. She is hot though.
42 posted on 03/05/2004 3:01:15 PM PST by The Toll
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To: MineralMan
It's not about cousins, it is a turn of the thermostat.

Call into question every cultural and societal decision and position until every form of behavior is accepted by default.

I could care less if a man can't get laid outside his family, just don't expect me to condone it and if you want a law changed to allow your marriage, go through the process just as we all do.

43 posted on 03/05/2004 3:08:06 PM PST by CyberCowboy777 (We should never ever apologize for who we are, what we believe in, and what we stand for.)
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To: FeliciaCat
Who are you to tell me I cannot marry my Mother?

44 posted on 03/05/2004 3:11:04 PM PST by CyberCowboy777 (We should never ever apologize for who we are, what we believe in, and what we stand for.)
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To: itsinthebag
In my family one of my adopted cousins decided it was okay to date a cousin because they weren't biologically related --- it was still considered weird --- their moms being sisters and luckily for everyone they broke it off quickly.
45 posted on 03/05/2004 3:27:36 PM PST by FITZ
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To: ZGuy
Marry your cousin, sure no problem - except your kids will look like the banjo player in Deliverance -- or this guy;


I'm gonna make you squeal like a pig!

46 posted on 03/05/2004 3:31:00 PM PST by Condor51 ("Diplomacy without arms is like music without instruments." -- Frederick the Great)
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To: ZGuy
It's not the "kissing" that is the problem, it's the other thing that results in extreme banjo playing.
47 posted on 03/05/2004 3:33:45 PM PST by verity
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To: kennedy
Inbreeding is no bad thing, as long as you start with good stock and cull the worst third of the offspring. The problem is that, the Saudi Royals for example, failed to do either.
48 posted on 03/05/2004 3:38:17 PM PST by Rifleman
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To: ZGuy

"I may be your husband, but I'm still yer father"
-White Trash Disaster Trailer(an SNL skit that's a riot).

49 posted on 03/05/2004 3:38:19 PM PST by Malsua
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To: Rifleman
But breeding humans --- how are you going to cull? It's easier with animals --- you just neuter or spay the less than perfect when you're inbreeding --- but even with that inbred animals are not the best, even if they have some traits you wanted, they're usually mentally not the best.

A one time breeding of cousins isn't so much the problem because it bring together the same genes for one generation --- but when it's done for generation after generation, after a while all the genes are the same.
50 posted on 03/05/2004 3:43:04 PM PST by FITZ
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To: Verginius Rufus
I think you're off base.

Franklin and Eleanor were first cousins in my recollection, but I am not where I can find a reference to prove it.

51 posted on 03/05/2004 3:54:27 PM PST by BartMan1
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To: Verginius Rufus
Beg pardon. You were right.

"In the fall of 1902, while FDR was still at Harvard, he began to see more and more of his distant cousin, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. A year later, FDR asked for her hand, and the two of them were married on March 17, 1905. The daughter of Elliot Roosevelt and Anna Hall, Eleanor was a member of the Oyster Bay branch of the Roosevelt family. She was also the niece of a man FDR much admired, Theodore Roosevelt, who was President at the time of their marriage and gave Eleanor away in the absence of her deceased father. The couple had six children, five of whom survived infancy. In the first years of their marriage, Eleanor's attention remained primarily focused on her family, but as the years passed, she would become more and more involved in issues of public policy and social justice."

They were in fact fifth cousins.

52 posted on 03/05/2004 3:58:47 PM PST by BartMan1
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To: FITZ
Oh, sure. You can't just inbreed to maintain a healthy population. You must also outbreed. But the inbreeding lets you select and maintain characteristics. As to culling people, that is the problem and the reason that marryin' inside the family (very often) is a bad idea.
53 posted on 03/05/2004 4:05:55 PM PST by Rifleman
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To: ZGuy
"In some Middle Eastern countries, almost half of all marriages are to cousins."

THERE'S the problem !!!
54 posted on 03/05/2004 4:20:49 PM PST by sawmill trash (Even my squirrel dogs like Pres. Bush ! (they think kerry is a fine place to raise a leg.))
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To: CyberCowboy777
"I could care less if a man can't get laid outside his family, just don't expect me to condone it and if you want a law changed to allow your marriage, go through the process just as we all do."



My marriage? I'm not married to my cousin. And I don't much care whether you condone cousins marrying or not. The law in over half the states allows it. That's the end of it.
55 posted on 03/06/2004 8:43:26 AM PST by MineralMan (godless atheist)
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To: newgeezer
You and your mom, your sister, both your sisters, your dog, ...

All at once!

It's gonna' be schadenfreude when the gay marriage crowd arrives to say
"you can't do that with marriage!" when all the polygamists and bestiality
marriage advocates surface.
56 posted on 03/06/2004 8:56:50 AM PST by VOA
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To: VOA
They already have, there are two cases in Utah.

So if the man files for divorce, will the two women be homosexual married?
57 posted on 03/06/2004 9:00:10 AM PST by longtermmemmory (Vote!)
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To: ZGuy
Great way to scam on benefits, estate tax planning, etc.

No need to actually have sex (who's going to check?). Especially good for senior citizens who are looking for ways to plan their golden years. Although if my accountant suggested it to me, I'd probably find a new one pronto.
58 posted on 03/06/2004 9:09:33 AM PST by P.O.E.
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To: ZGuy
Twenty-four states still forbid cousin marriages. HOWEVER ALL 50 STATES RECONIZE THOSE COUSIN MARRIAGES FROM THE 26 STATES THAT ALLOW COUSIN MARRIAGES. A fact not lost on homosexuals.
59 posted on 03/06/2004 9:11:05 AM PST by longtermmemmory (Vote!)
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To: P.O.E.
those are called civil unions...
60 posted on 03/06/2004 9:11:41 AM PST by longtermmemmory (Vote!)
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