Posted on 03/01/2010 12:08:59 PM PST by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
Unless they’re gay of course- then he’d be all for it.
So to MD legislators, does govt get involved in marriage “laws” because marriage is intended to breed children - or not?
LOL!!!
Legal prohibitions on incestuous marriage (be they first-cousin marriages or on the monstrousity that would be sibling marriages) are an important part of the argument that there is no constitutional right for any two people to get married to each other. However, to the extent that first-cousin marriages in which one of the parties is infertile are exempt from the marriage prohibition (as is the case in the MD bill), we would be back in square one, since same-sex-marriage proponents would point out that same-sex “marriages” don’t produce offspring, either.
Currently sanctioned within Orthodoxy, I think.
“Your cousins must be ugly.”
Just a little too close of a relation for my comfort. Most people would agree, marrying your first cousin is just a disgusting thought.
Too Late!
Not a peer-reviewed journal, per se (of course, we see how useful those really are on "hot button" topics...), but Stanley Kurtz wrote up some pretty interesting things about this topic and related about three years ago:
Maryland is south of Mason’s and Dixon’s Line.
Many years ago, my father pastored a church in central AR. Two of the members were first cousins who had married and succeeded in producing 7 profoundly retarded children. All 7 children ultimately were placed in the Arkansas Children’s Colony where they remained permanently. It was one of the saddest situations I’ve ever encountered and I’m now well past 60. I just don’t think those marriages should occur.
My family has the same, but there’s no inbreeding. Anecdotes like this are not enough to make policy.
Pennsyltucky?
That is enough to gag a maggot!
yer jess sayin that cuz you’re a ‘bama... ; )
But it makes for smaller family reunions, n’est-ce pas?
LMAO!
I was waiting in class for you to comment about the lack of any BP info on the big zero’s PE results.
Reminds me of a joke.
If a man and woman get divorced in Kentucky are they still brother and sister?
So much for this being a southern thing.
Technically Maryland IS south of the Mason-Dixon Line
(I know you folks in Alabama and Mississippi aren’t impressed)
>>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!
Wasn’t so bad after the first two..
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