(Maryland) Lawmaker: First cousins should not marry

Houston Chronicle ^ | Feb. 23, 2010, 6:34AM | no byline

[a fool in paradise]

...it's time to ban marriages between first cousins and stop playing what he calls "genetic roulette" with their offspring.

Henry Heller, a Democratic delegate, or state representative, says he wants to bring Maryland "into the enlightened world of other states such as West Virginia and Arkansas" that already prohibit unions of first cousins...

The bill would make an exception for people who are over age 65 or infertile. Heller says he has "no problem" with those couples if they want the companionship.

There are 24 states that prohibit marriage between first-cousins.

[Semper Mark]

The old boy on the right divorced his new bride
after he found out that she was a virgin.

The reason he gave was - "Well, if she ain't good enough for her own family she shore as hell ain't good enough for mine!"

[cripplecreek]

LOL

Anybody remember the Wheelers from Night Court?

[allmendream]

In some cultures first cousin consanguinity is the norm.

They also have no demonstrated increase in stillbirths or genetic defects, although such a system might tend to eliminate double recessive lethal mutations after several generations; no hard data on that AFAIK.

[OldMissileer]

Over in Britain, the Muslim population from Pakistan routinely engages in first-cousin marriage and has demonstrated a statistically significant higher level in all kinds of genetic disorders and mental retardation.

Well, you gotta be pretty retarded to be a Muslim in the first place.

[chris_bdba]

The only people who really still do this are those who are Muslim and they will just ignore the law and take their daughters back to where they came form to marry.

[RedMDer]

or this.

[brownsfan]

“Meaning that 26 permit it. No one has yet demonstrated an increase in stillbirths or genetic defects in first cousin consanguinity.”

But most people can confirm the “ewwwwww” factor.

[Vaquero]

Brent Spiner played Mr. Wheeler.

he also played Data on Star Trek the Next Generation.

[GeronL]

Wait a sec... this Democrat says it IS a governments job to say who can and cannot be married??

How does this person feel about gay “marriage” or an arranged marriage of a Muslim to a 9 year old??

[chris_bdba]

WV and Kebntucky already has this law and has had for many years.

[GOYAKLA]

Need help on correcting if this isn’t right.
Larry the Cable Guy said one of his relatives claimed to have married his third cousin.
I can’t remember Larry’s retort. HELP!

[CrazyIvan]

I drove a coach for Trailways for two years and carried a
lot of Amish families. They seemed to have an inordinate
number of offspring with abnormalities that we associate
with inbreeding. One family had three adult offspring that
were all handicapped. Not very scientific research, but I
always wondered if with the small communities that they have
if the gene pool wasn't too small. Most of them were very
nice people, it always hurt to see this.

[chris_bdba]

OOPPPSSS Kebntucky=Kentucky

[cripplecreek]

The Wheelers. Bob, June, and little Carole anne.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrLvtoKZfxY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0NmaBtpnBE

[CholeraJoe]

Your cousins must be ugly.

[GeronL]

Oh yes. Brent Spiner before he became an android. heh

[Tribune7]

I wonder how he feels about marriage between homosexuals?

[GOYAKLA]

Sounds like “Catch-22”, JOSEPH HELLER, writing! ;^}

[RedMDer]

“Hi! I’m Hank Heller, and I say no more inbreeding in Maryland.”

There’s something about that face...

[holden]

There was a four-star Vincent Price movie I stayed up till 2am watching one morning. I generally like Vincent Price, so I was willing to sacrifice some sleep, which I did to the very end.

It was absolutely awful movie--just horrible!   1/2 star is what it deserved. I have no idea the kind of idiot, who would've given it four stars!

In the movie, critics were be killed as if by Jack the Ripper. Turns out, it was an actor (Vincent Price) who'd kill critics of his stage performance if they didn't give him a great review...

Uh huh.

HF