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submitted 10 months ago by chocolateo@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world
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[-] Wrench@lemmy.world 32 points 10 months ago

Eh. I discovered that a married couple I know are first cousins, and have two very normal kids, so I looked into it.

From a genetics stand point, the risk of inbred related health risks are pretty negligible. I think it basically doubled the risk, on very small chances to begin with.

Yeah, it's still kind of weird and rude to talk about.

As mentioned elsewhere in the thread, the age portion of this law is the creepy part. It was my own bias that made the first cousins part weird. As others mentioned, it was pretty common for our tribal ancestors.

[-] RunawayFixer@lemmy.world 20 points 10 months ago

It's pretty common still in multiple countries and in some migrant subcultures living in other countries. The consequences over multiple generations are not pretty.

An article with examples: https://www.dw.com/en/pakistan-cousin-marriages-create-high-risk-of-genetic-disorders/a-60687452

Imo it's still a bad idea to allow it. Even between first cousins of a family without a history of inbreeding, doubling the chance of genetic disorders is not nothing. Scale it up to many people doing it and it becomes a heavy burden on healthcare systems. And in countries with socialized healthcare, it's not really fair that everyone has to contribute more to healthcare because some people want to defy genetics. Imo again.

[-] Wrench@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

OK. You're talking about a culture that specifically encourages incest over many generations. Yes, that's problematic.

My point is that the social stigma of 1st cousins marrying far exceeds its actual danger in a more isolated case by case basis. Which is really what we're talking about here.

Also, your argument about Healthcare reeks of eugenics. Should someone with a known family history of <insert genetic disease> be allowed to reproduce? Or reproduce with someone else with similar genetic risks?

To put it another way, should my insurance fees / taxes subsidize your high risk of colon cancer?

Yeah, it sounds like an awful stance, doesn't it?

[-] RunawayFixer@lemmy.world 0 points 10 months ago

Your children are the victims and should not be punished because you wanted to fuck your cousin, it's you that should be paying extra taxes to offset the cost to society of your choices.

[-] Signtist@lemm.ee 11 points 10 months ago

You're spot on. The average risk of some genetic issue occurring in a standard pregnancy is about 3%, and the average risk between 3rd degree relatives, such as first cousins, is about 6%. I used to be a genetic counselor, and I'd seen a few first cousin cases, and even a case of double-first cousins, which was a higher risk, but still not as high as the much more run-of-the-mill scenario of a couple both being carriers of any given recessive genetic condition. People freak out about it because of the jokes about inbred families, but the much bigger issue with it is the power dynamic, especially concerning age. When you hear incest, you shouldn't be worried about kids with 6 toes, you should be worried about rape.

[-] AA5B@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

Maybe things that are ok in a small tribal village shouldn’t necessarily be in a larger interconnected modern civilization

[-] RattlerSix@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago

I met a guy who was married to his cousin and I had to google it too and found out the same thing. A lot of states allow marriage, and not just southern states as the stereotype would suggest. Here's the states that allow it: Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Vermont.

[-] Snapz@lemmy.world 0 points 10 months ago

"Discovered" and no source to your claims... I don't think so, Rudy.

[-] Wrench@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

I looked it up over 5 years ago. It was extremely easy to find information. I encourage you to educate yourself on the matter too.

this post was submitted on 17 Jan 2024
645 points (94.2% liked)

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