[SarahW]

You might be interested in this month's issue of Discovery maganzine...there's a big article on the subject.

Marrying first cousins can concentrate recessive traits, but it also has genetic benefits, like passing on adaptive traits, and concentrating desirable traits, and avoiding some of the risks of outbreeding.

It takes several generations of inbreeding for any substantial increase in the birth defect rate. The birth defect rate for first-cousin unions is not significantly different from an outbred union.

Essentially, human beings were designed to live in concentrated groups with some genetic linkage.

[fortunecookie]

...Marrying first cousins can concentrate recessive traits...

and

...It takes several generations of inbreeding for any substantial increase in the birth defect rate. The birth defect rate for first-cousin unions is not significantly different from an outbred union.

Well, thankfully the Justices have brought the freedom of abortion to all (in the US). /dripping sarcasm That's just guaranteed future earnings for the abortion industry. Ch-ching!

[Protagoras]

Essentially, human beings were designed to live in concentrated groups with some genetic linkage.

It might be a good question for some of the biblical literalists on this board. If Adam and Eve were the only ones and they had kids, how did they avoid incest if the rest of us are here?