Intermarriage worries Gulf states (birth defects.)

[ensho]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/03/201032710501113561.html


Marriage between relatives is seen as distasteful within some cultures, but it has been a common feature in many others for thousands of years.

However, growing evidence has shown that children born to parents from the same extended family face a higher risk of developing a range of health problems.

Research from 2008 shows that marriage between cousins in the US, Europe, Russia and Australia is less than one per cent.

In countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, more than half of the population marry a spouse who is considered a relative.

Some of these countries and a number of African and Asian countries have the world's highest rates of birth defects - up to 69 cases in every thousand people.

Some experts say the real figure is much higher. Like its Gulf neighbours, Qatar has now made pre-marital medical tests mandatory.
-snip, there is a video-
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it is not just the Gulf states. if you ever watch the Jerry Springer show you will learn that MANY americans think having children with cousins is perfectly alright. seriously, not a joke.

[MineralMan]

1. You are aware that over half the states in the USA allow

first cousins to marry, right? And those marriages are recognized in all 50 states and by the federal government.

[ensho]

2. no I did not know that. how stupid of us to approve of such a thing

nt

[Cirque du So-What]

3. Why, looky here

Your own state - and 'civilized' states such as California & New York - allow first-cousin marriages, while it's against the law in those 'backward' states such as West Virginia, Mississippi & Arkansas.

http://www.cousincouples.com/?page=states

Making your planets twirl yet?

[LeftyMom]

5. The reason for that is that the risks are VERY low.

Comparable to those for reproducing in one's late 30's, which is definitely legal.

[KamaAina]

11. We already knew New York allowed it

St. Rudy Nineleveninelevenineleven' s first wife was his cousin.

[Taitertots]

15. Could it be that the only places that needed a law were places that were doing it? n/t

[MineralMan]

6. Actually, it's not stupid. Studies have shown very little risk of

birth defects in first cousin marriages. It's very slightly higher than the general population. Facts matter. Prejudices don't.

[murielm99]

4. Didn't we know this already?

Haven't we known this for a long time? It seems to me that I learned this in a very basic biology class about forty years ago.

[Marr]

7. I think some are going to interpret the headline as 'states near the Gulf of Mexico'.

Which is kind of funny, when you think about it.

[gkhouston]

13. I'll admit that "Louisiana" was the first thing that came to my mind... n/t

[Pesci11]

8. 95% of the time, children of cousin couples will be normal

As opposed to 98% of non-related couples: http://www.cousincouples.com/?page=facts

That means that we probably shouldn't have sex with anyone, I guess.

I believe marriage between cousins may be unfairly opposed by many. That's why marriage between cousins is legal in most states in the US. See list of states that allow cousin marriage in the link above.

[KamaAina]

9. By "normal", I assume you mean "not disabled"

Some of us resent hearing everyone else described as "normal".

[rug]

10. I thought this post was going to be about Mississippi and Alabama.

[Quantess]

12. Maybe the risk of birth defects is lower than expected,

but it's still gross.

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. The problems come when cousins marry again and again in a family

You can get away with the occasional first cousin marriage; but when it's done over several generations, the birth defects start piling up:

As many as 55 per cent of British Pakistanis are married to their first cousin, a figure that rises to as high as 75 per cent in Bradford, west Yorkshire. Just 3 per cent of all children in Britain are of Pakistani origin, but a third of all children with recessive genetic disorders come from the ethnic group.

Deech, in a speech planned for this week, will say: "Human rights and religious and cultural practices are respected by not banning cousin marriage. But those involved must be made aware of the consequences."

Deech, who chaired the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority for eight years, believes that adults who carry genetic abnormalities should be screened and that first cousins who are married should have their first children by in-vitro fertilisation, to allow for checks for abnormalities.

Three-quarters of children born with birth defects in Bradford are believed to have parents who are first cousins.

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Call-to-discourage--.6168647.jp

Speech transcript here: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/event.asp?PageId=4&EventId=993

[AnnieBW]

16. My aunt married her second cousin

Although they didn't know it at the time, because different parts of their family immigrated to the U.S. at different times. Her last name and my uncle's were the same, but it's the name of a town in Croatia, and they just figured that Ellis Island put down the town instead of the last name. But after they got married, they traced back and found out that yeah, they were cousins. Their son, my cousin, has mental health issues, but they probably don't stem from being an inbred.