In 1846, Massachusetts Governor George N. Briggs appointed a commission to investigate the mentally handicapped (called “idiots”) in the state. This study implied that marriage between cousins was responsible for the idiocy. Over the next two decades, many reports (e.g., one from the Kentucky Deaf and Dumb Asylum) emerged with similar conclusions: that marriage between cousins sometimes led to deafness, blindness, and idiocy. Perhaps most important was the report by physician Samuel Merrifield Bemiss for the American Medical Association, which concluded that inbreeding cousins leads to the “physical and mental depravity of offspring.” Although other studies such as those of George Darwin and Alan Huth in England and Robert Newman in New York have been contradicted, the report`s findings have been widely accepted. [100] Marriages between cousins have genetic aspects that have an increased chance of sharing genes for recessive traits. The percentage of inbreeding between two individuals decreases by four times because the youngest common ancestor goes back a generation. First-degree cousins have four times as many blood ties as second-degree cousins, while first-degree cousins have half the blood ties of first-degree cousins. Double first cousins have twice as many as first cousins and are just as closely related as half-siblings. The first actual laws against first-degree marriage appeared during the Civil War, when Kansas banned the practice in 1858, followed by Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Wyoming in the 1860s.
Protestant churches generally allowed marriage between cousins,[185] in accordance with Martin Luther and John Calvin`s criticism of the Catholic dispensation order during the Reformation. [99] This includes most major American denominations such as Baptists, Pentecostals, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Methodists. The Anglican Communion has also allowed marriage with cousins since its foundation during the reign of King Henry VIII. According to Luther and Calvin, Catholic prohibitions on marriage between cousins were an expression of the Church rather than divine law and should be abolished. [3] John Calvin considered the biblical list only as an indication and that any relationship of the same degree or lesser degree than that listed, namely the third degree according to the method of civil law, should therefore be prohibited. The Archbishop of Canterbury soon came to the same conclusion. [100] But unlike Protestantism and Catholicism, the Eastern Orthodox Church forbids marriage to second-degree cousins. [18] But according to the latest constitution (of 2010) of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, second cousins can marry, since the restriction is imposed on 5th degree relatives.
[186] The reasoning is that marriage between close relatives can lead to intra-family conflicts. The 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia refers to a theory by the Anglican bishop of Bath and Wells, who speculates that Mary and Joseph, Jesus` mother and husband, were first cousins. [187] Jack Goody describes this theory as a “legend.” [188] The 19th century academic debate on marriage between cousins developed differently in Europe and America. The writings of Scotland`s Assistant Commissioner for Insanity, Arthur Mitchell, who claimed that marriage between cousins had adverse effects on offspring, have been widely refuted by scholars such as Alan Huth and George Darwin. [83] [84] In fact, Mitchell`s own data did not support his hypotheses, and he later hypothesized that the dangers of inbreeding could be partially overcome by living a real life. Subsequent studies conducted by George Darwin found results similar to those estimated today. His father, Charles Darwin, who married his first cousin, had initially speculated that marriage between cousins might pose serious risks, but perhaps in response to his son`s work, these thoughts were omitted in a later version of the book they published. When a question on marriage between cousins was finally considered for the 1871 census, it was rejected according to George Darwin on the grounds that the idle curiosity of philosophers should not be satisfied. [85] In southern Italy, marriage between cousins was a common practice in regions such as Calabria and Sicily, where the marriage of a first cousin accounted for nearly 50% of all marriages in the last century. [86] Marriage of third-degree cousins with third-degree cousins is permitted in Greece and is considered favourable.
[87] First cousins from Connecticut who want to get married: rejoice! You can do this under the rule of law. Connecticut also allows first cousins to have sex and cohabitation. First cousins who have been abducted once, half-cousins and cousins by adoption can also marry. First cousins in Arizona can only marry if one or both parties are 65 or older. You can also marry if one or both parties are infertile. If they are not married, sexual relations or cohabitation are not allowed. For some important examples of cousin marriages in ancient Rome, such as the marriage of Octavian`s daughter to his sister`s son, see the Julio-Claudian family tree. Marcus Aurelius also married his maternal cousin Faustina the Younger, and they had 13 children. Marriages between cousins were more common in ancient Greece, and marriages between uncle and niece were also allowed. [3] An example is King Leonidas I of Sparta, who married his half-niece Gorgo. A Greek woman who became an epiclerosis or heiress without brothers was obliged to marry her father`s closest male relatives if she was not yet married and had not given birth to a male heir. In the first place, there were either his father`s brothers or their sons, followed by the sons of his father`s sisters.
[92] First cousins from Illinois may marry only if both parties are 50 years of age or older, or if one of the parties is barren. However, sexual relations and cohabitation between first cousins are allowed, and first cousins who have been abducted once are allowed to marry. But half-cousins are not allowed to marry, the law says. The U.S. state of Maine allows marriage to a first-degree cousin if the couple accepts genetic counseling, while North Carolina allows it as long as the marriage candidates are not rare first-degree double cousins, that is, cousins of both parental lines. [159] In the other 25 states that allow at least some marriages with first cousins, there is no distinction between double cousins. [160] There was also a recent debate in the Netherlands that has reached the level of the Prime Minister, who proposes to ban marriage between cousins. The proposed policy explicitly aims to prevent “imported marriages” from certain countries, such as Morocco, where the rate of marriages between cousins is high.
Critics argue that such a ban would contradict Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, is not based on science and would affect more than immigrants. While some proponents argue that such marriages were banned until 1970, according to Frans van Poppel of the Dutch Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute, they confuse cousin marriage with uncle-niece marriage. [119] Anthropologists Robert Murphy and Leonard Kasdan describe preferred parallel marriage as leading to social division, in the sense that “quarrel and division are by no means dysfunctional factors, but are necessary for the survival and viability of Bedouin society.” Their thesis is the opposite of Fredrik Barth, who describes the split as leading to marriage between cousins. [173] According to Murphy and Kasdan, the Arab system of marriage between parallel cousins runs counter to the creation of homogeneous “limited” and “corporeal” kinship groups, instead creating arrangements in which each person is related by blood to a multitude of people, the degree of relationship gradually rather than suddenly. Instead of corporate units, Arab society is described as “agnatic sections,” a type of repetitive fractal structure in which authority is generally weak at all levels, but can be activated at the level required in wartime. They refer to an old Arabic proverb: “I am against my brother; my brother and I against my cousin; My cousin, my brother and me against the oppressed. [174] “In such a society, even the existence of a limited number of marriages between cousins will not break the isolation of the kinship group, for cousins of the first crosses often end up as second cousins.” [175] Instead of organizing horizontally by definitive links, when large-scale organization is necessary, it is carried out vertically taking into account distance from common ancestors. This practice is said to have benefits such as resilience and adaptability to adversity. [176] In the Far East, South Korea is particularly restrictive with prohibitions on marriage with third-degree cousins, with all couples with the same surname and region of origin prohibited from marrying until 1997.
[102] First cousins may live together or have sex. First cousins and adoptive cousins are allowed to marry. In some jurisdictions, marriage between cousins is prohibited by law: for example, in China, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, the Philippines, and 24 of the 50 United States. [5] [6] The laws of many jurisdictions determine the degree of consanguinity, which is prohibited in sexual relations and spouses. Proponents of marriage between cousins, when prohibited, may view the prohibition as discrimination,[7][8] while opponents may invoke moral or other arguments. [9] Practices in the West Indies are generally closer to the north than to the south,[139] but here too there are differences. For example, 1956 studies in Mumbai showed that 7.7% of Hindus were married to a second cousin or closer. In contrast, in the northern city of New Delhi in the 1980s, only 0.1% of Hindus were married to a first cousin.
On the other hand, studies have been conducted in the southern Indian state of Karnataka during this period, showing that a third of Hindus are married to a second cousin or closer. [140] Madhya Pradesh before 2000, from which Chhattisgarh has now seceded, and Maharashtra, to which Mumbai belongs, are states that are intermediaries in their kinship practices.
