is it legal to marry your first cousin uk

This may be a legacy of the partition of the subcontinent into India and Pakistan, when substantial Muslim migration to Pakistan occurred from the eastern parts of the former unified state of Punjab. It was the issue of adoption and not cousinship that caused controversy due to the opposition of pre-Islamic Arab norms. In Sura An-Nisa (4:2224), Allah mentioned the women who are forbidden for marriage: to quote the Qur'an, " Lawful to you are all beyond those mentioned, so that you may seek them with your wealth in honest wedlock" In Sura Al-Ahzab (33:50), O Prophet, indeed We have made lawful to you your wives to whom you have given their due compensation and those your right hand possesses from what Allah has returned to you [of captives] and the daughters of your paternal uncles and the daughters of your paternal aunts and the daughters of your maternal uncles and the daughters of your maternal aunts who emigrated with you and a believing woman if she gives herself to the Prophet [and] if the Prophet wishes to marry her, [this is] only for you, excluding the [other] believers. The percentage of consanguinity between any two individuals decreases fourfold as the most recent common ancestor recedes one generation. LEXIS 1605 (2002). Some famous historical figures married their cousins. American Journal of Human Genetics. Can you marry a second cousin? A cousin marriage is a marriage where the spouses are cousins (i.e. In contrast to both Protestantism and Catholicism, the Eastern Orthodox Church prohibits up to second cousins from marrying. Their thesis is the converse of Fredrik Barth's, who describes the fission as leading to the cousin marriage. In the short term, some observers have concluded that the only new forces that could discourage such unions are government bans like the one China enacted in 1981. [7][18][105], In the Far East, South Korea is especially restrictive with bans on marriage out to third cousins, with all couples having the same surname and region of origin having been prohibited from marrying until 1997. [10] Some states prohibiting cousin marriage recognize cousin marriages performed in other states, but this does not hold true in general despite occasional claims to the contrary. Some bar first-cousin marriages, but may allow marriages between second cousins (i.e., the children of first cousins), half-cousins, and adopted cousins. [100], Anthropologist Martin Ottenheimer argues that marriage prohibitions were introduced to maintain the social order, uphold religious morality, and safeguard the creation of fit offspring. The answer depends on where you live, and how closely related your cousin is. [185], A recent research study of 70 nations has found a statistically significant negative correlation between consanguineous kinship networks and democracy. Contact us. In contrast, the genetic risk associated with second cousins having children is as small as it would be for two unrelated individuals. [45] In Egypt, estimates from the late 19th and early 20th centuries state variously that either 80% of fellahin married first cousins or two-thirds married them if they existed. In Vietnam, Clause 3, Article 10 of the 2000 Vietnamese Law on Marriage and Family forbids marriages of people related by blood up to the third degree of kinship. Leading researcher Alan Bittles also concluded that though consanguinity clearly has a significant effect on childhood mortality and genetic disease in areas where it is common, it is "essential that the levels of expressed genetic defect be kept in perspective, and to realize that the outcome of consanguineous marriages is not subject to assessment solely in terms of comparative medical audit". [62] Even for a man, lacking a spouse is looked down upon. (For example, the Catholic RSV-CE and NAB differ in Numbers 36:1012.) Marrying your first cousin, while illegal in many states, is not the worst thing you could do. [231] The BBC story contained an interview with Myra Ali, whose parents and grandparents were all first cousins. California. A consistent positive association between consanguinity and disorders such as ventricular septal defect and atrial septal defect has been demonstrated, but both positive and negative associations with patent ductus arteriosus, atrioventricular septal defect, pulmonary atresia, and Tetralogy of Fallot have been reported in different populations. Proactively, it is customary for parents to groom their children to know their immediate cousins and, when opportune, their distant cousins. After repeated generations of cousin marriage the actual genetic relationship between two people is closer than the most immediate relationship would suggest. It's just not the accepted normal thing. We each carry an average of 12 genetic variants associated with recessive conditions. [15][16][17], Cousin marriage has often been practiced to keep cultural values intact, preserve family wealth, maintain geographic proximity, keep tradition, strengthen family ties, and maintain family structure or a closer relationship between the wife and her in-laws. However, enforcement proved difficult and by the subsequent Qing dynasty, the former laws had been restored. [48], According to anthropologist Ladislav Hol, cousin marriage is not an independent phenomenon, but rather one expression of a wider Middle Eastern preference for agnatic solidarity, or solidarity with one's father's lineage. Conflict may arise between the prohibited degrees based on this law and personal law, but in absence of any other laws, it is still unresolved. [40], Raphael Patai reports that in central Arabia, no relaxation of a man's right to the father's brother's daughter seems to have taken place in the past hundred years before his 1962 work. (Image: Getty) Marriage between cousins is a contentious topic across the globe, but you may be surprised to hear it's. [94] Professors Brent Shaw and Richard Saller, however, counter in their more comprehensive treatment that cousin marriages were never habitual or preferred in the western empire: for example, in one set of six stemmata (genealogies) of Roman aristocrats in the two centuries after Octavian, out of 33 marriages, none was between first or second cousins. Also, Isaac's son Jacob married Leah and Rachel, both his first cousins (Genesis 2829). Professor Alan Bittles of Murdoch University and Edith Cowan University in Australia has studied cousin marriages for the past 30 . Code of Ala. 13A-13-3. [166] It is unknown what proportion of that number were first cousins, which is the group facing marriage bans. [42] In ancient Persia, the Achaemenid kings habitually married their cousins and nieces,[46] while between the 1940s and 1970s, the percentage of Iranian cousin marriages increased from 34 to 44%. about FindLaws newsletters, including our terms of use and privacy policy. There are 25 states where marrying your first cousin is illegal - no exceptions. Terms of Service apply. District registrars must be notified and sent the relevant forms and documents. China has prohibited first-cousin marriage since 1981. A cousin marriage is a marriage in which the spouses are cousins of one another. "Keeping Marriage in the Family. While recent studies have cast serious doubt on whether cousin marriage is as dangerous[clarification needed] as is popularly assumed, professors Diane B. Paul and Hamish G. Spencer speculate that legal bans persist in part due to "the ease with which a handful of highly motivated activists or even one individual can be effective in the decentralized American system, especially when feelings do not run high on the other side of an issue. His father, Charles Darwin who married his first cousin had initially speculated that cousin marriage might pose serious risks, but perhaps in response to his son's work, these thoughts were omitted from a later version of the book they published. [201], Many of the immediate successors of Muhammad also took a cousin as one of their wives. What about a first cousin or half sibling? This was regarded by all as a lawful marriage. Getty. [11] A study indicated that between 1800 and 1965 in Iceland, more children and grandchildren were produced from marriages between third or fourth cousins (people with common great-great- or great-great-great-grandparents) than from other degrees of separation. However, this statute was amended in 2009; while sex with close adult family members (including first cousins) remains a felony, the more serious penalty now attaches to sex with an individual's direct ancestor or descendant. [192] At least one Frankish King, Pepin the Short, apparently viewed close kin marriages among nobles as a threat to his power. [178], In contrast, Maryland delegates Henry B. Heller and Kumar P. Barve sponsored a bill to ban first-cousin marriages in 2000. [193] Whatever the reasons, written justifications for such bans had been advanced by St. Augustine by the fifth century. Where permissible, marriage to a close relative is hence regarded as a more economically feasible choice. [139] One anthropologist, Ladislav Hol, argued that it is important to distinguish between the ideal of FBD marriage and marriage as it is actually practiced, which always also includes other types of cousins and unrelated spouses. Studies consistently show a lower rate of primary infertility in cousin marriages, usually interpreted as being due to greater immunological compatibility between spouses. You may remember from biology class that DNA is the instructional manual that tells our body how to grow, develop, and work properly. [174][175][176], A bill to repeal the ban on first-cousin marriage in Minnesota was introduced by Phyllis Kahn in 2003, but it died in committee. By the 1870s, Lewis Henry Morgan (18181881) was writing about "the advantages of marriages between unrelated persons" and the necessity of avoiding "the evils of consanguine marriage", avoidance of which would "increase the vigor of the stock". [98] Ironically, within less than a hundred years of the Anglo-Norman Invasion of Ireland the Catholic Church reformed Canon Law on cousin marriage at the Fourth Lateran Council, with the effect bringing the Catholic Church's teaching back into alignment with the Irish Church and the original Christian Church's teachings. [69] Though Muslims make up over a third of the Ethiopian population, and Islam has been present in the country since the time of Muhammad, cross-cousin marriage is very rare among most Ethiopian Muslims. [citation needed]. "While many people have a story about a secret cousin crush or kiss, most Americans find the idea of cousins marrying and having children disturbing or even repulsive," notes the article. George Louis Arner in 1908 considered the ban a clumsy and ineffective method of eugenics, which he thought would eventually be replaced by more refined techniques. This means you and your future spouse must meet all of the following requirements at the time the marriage takes place. What is it called when you marry your first-cousin? Marriage License Laws", "Human Services Legislation and Legislative News from NCSL", "Michigan Marriage License Laws > MI Wedding Officiants", "TPT St. Paul. You may happen to know your second cousins as well. June 25, 2009", "Steve Chapman. According to many English Bible translations, the five daughters of Zelophehad married the "sons of their father's brothers" in the later period of Moses; although other translations merely say "relatives". If more than one relationship exists between spouses, as often results from successive generations of cousin marriage, only the patrilineal one is counted. [42] In Iraq, the right of the cousin also traditionally was followed and males sometimes murdered female cousins who sought to marry without obtaining consent [43] The Syrian city of Aleppo during the 19th century featured a rate of cousin marriage among the elite of 24% according to one estimate, a figure that masked widespread variation: some leading families had none or only one cousin marriage, while others had rates approaching 70%. There are several examples in the Bible of cousins marrying. Here the girl is not forced to marry her male cousin, but she cannot marry another unless he gives consent. The writings of Scottish deputy commissioner for lunacy Arthur Mitchell claiming that cousin marriage had injurious effects on offspring were largely contradicted by researchers such as Alan Huth and George Darwin. [149] According to the National Family Health Survey of 20192021, the highest rates of consanguineous marriages in India are found in the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, at 28% and 27% respectively.[150]. [30] The last form is seen as nearly incestuous and therefore prohibited, for the man and the woman in such marriage share the same surname, much resembling sibling marriage. [19][124] An article in China Daily from the 1990s reported on the ban's implementation in the northeastern province of Liaoning, along with a ban on marriage of people who were physically and mentally disabled, all justified on "eugenic" grounds. Visit our attorney directory to find a lawyer near you who can help. [137] A report by the Dubai-based Centre for Arab Genomic Studies (CAGS) in September 2009 found that Arabs have one of the world's highest rates of genetic disorders, nearly two-thirds of which are linked to consanguinity. License Expiration: The license is valid for 30 days. [41] The force of the custom is seen in one case from Jordan when the father arranged for the marriage of his daughter to an outsider without obtaining the consent of her male cousin. After all, this could help you to avoid certain surprises or major disputes down the line and can ensure that you are going into marriage fully informed. Under the law of the Catholic Church, couples were also forbidden to marry if they were within four degrees of consanguinity. "[2] Some news sources then only mentioned the polygamy and child abuse provisions and ignored the cousin marriage portion of the bill, as did some more recent sources. [104], These developments led to 13 states and territories passing cousin marriage prohibitions by the 1880s. Note that the laws listed do. Brill Online. They must be at least 25 years old, They must have completed high school or its equivalent, They must have resided in Canada for not less than three years, They should possess health insurance for both spouses for at least 12 months. "[184] Instead of organizing horizontally through affinal ties, when large scale organization is necessary it is accomplished vertically, by reckoning distance from shared ancestors. Marriage within the lineage is preferred to marriage outside the lineage even when no exact genealogical relationship is known. She has a very rare recessive genetic condition, known as epidermolysis bullosa which will cause her to lead a life of extreme physical suffering,{{tone inline} limited human contact and probably an early death from skin cancer. G.E. She reportedly got the idea after learning that cousin marriage is an acceptable form of marriage among some cultural groups that have a strong presence in Minnesota, namely the Hmong and Somali. Finally, in 2010 the Telegraph reported that cousin marriage among the British Pakistani community resulted in 700 children being born every year with genetic disabilities. The Archbishop of Canterbury reached the same conclusion soon after.[104]. In the case of one debilitating seizure disorder, the worldwide total of 12 cases exclusively involves the Amish. While readily conceding that banning cousin marriage cannot be justified on genetic grounds, Saletan asks rhetorically whether it would be acceptable to legalize uncle-niece marriage or "hard-core incest" between siblings and then let genetic screening take care of the resulting problems. In Pakistan, cousin marriage is legal and common. [230] Given the high rate of such marriages, many children come from repeat generations of first-cousin marriages. Richard Curtis wrote in the ending to Four Weddings and a Funeral that Tom marries his distant cousin Deirdre, having fallen in love at a wedding - a joke about the aristocracy supposedly keeping things in the family. JavaScript is required to display this interactive graphic. The proposed policy is explicitly aimed at preventing "import marriages" from certain nations like Morocco with a high rate of cousin marriage. [175], Cousin marriage is important in several anthropological theories by prominent authors such as Claude Lvi-Strauss, Sir Edward Tylor, and Lewis Henry Morgan. [218], Repeated consanguineous marriages within a group are more problematic. (See Incidence. Even though all humans have 99% identical DNA, there are some differences (or,variants). Of those, in 64, the spouses were of the same lineage. Critics argue that such a ban would contradict Section 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, is not based on science, and would affect more than immigrants. [13][14] In the Middle East and South Asia, cousin marriage is still strongly favored. [199] Muhammad actually did marry two relatives. Genetic counseling in developing countries has been hampered, however, by lack of trained staff, and couples may refuse prenatal diagnosis and selective abortion despite the endorsement of religious authorities. [citation needed] In the 1980s researchers found that children to closely related Pakistani parents had an autosomal recessive condition rate of 4% compared to 0.1% for the European group. These included not only cousin marriages, but also uncle-niece unions. There are 15 counties where you can apply and obtain a marriage license from the state's county superior court . States have various laws regarding marriage between cousins and other close relatives,[172] which involve factors including whether or not the parties to the marriage are half-cousins, double cousins, infertile, over 65, or whether it is a tradition prevalent in a native or ancestry culture, adoption status, in-law, whether or not genetic counseling is required, and whether it is permitted to marry a first cousin once removed. During the apportionment of Israel following the journey out of Egypt, Caleb gives his daughter Achsah to his brother's son Othniel according to the NAB (Joshua 15:17), though the Jewish Talmud says Othniel was simply Caleb's brother (Sotah 11b). [74] Early Medieval Europe continued the late Roman ban on cousin marriage. [120] A 2002 Time article claims that an increasing imbalance in the number of males and females is causing more cousin marriages, as "desperate" males struggle to find brides. [176], Lvi-Strauss postulated that cross-cousin marriage had the two consequences of setting up classes which automatically delimit the group of possible spouses and of determining a relationship that can decide whether a prospective spouse is to be desired or excluded. [114][115] As of February2014[update], 24 U.S. states prohibit marriages between first cousins, 19 U.S. states allow marriages between first cousins, and 7 U.S. states allow only some marriages between first cousins. [85][86], The 19th-century academic debate on cousin marriage developed differently in Europe and America. "According to the Marriage Act of 1961 [cousins] can marry," Genealogy SA's Beryl Schahinger told ABC Radio Adelaide 's Afternoons program. Marriages between relatives occurred strongly during a period that goes more or less between 1760 and the entire 19th century, both in the countryside (mostly) and in the city (to a lesser . [186] In other parts of the world, marrying your first cousin is socially acceptable; in the United States, it's a bit more taboo. Arizona marriage license fee is $83. Marriage between close relatives increases the chance of certain genetic concerns. [89] In Southern Italy, cousin marriage was a usual tradition in regions such as Calabria and Sicily, where first-cousin marriage in the 1900s was near to 50 percent of all marriages. Lvi-Strauss viewed cross-cousin marriage as a form of exogamy in the context of a unilineal descent group, meaning either matrilineal or patrilineal descent. Half siblings aren't allowed to marry in North Carolina. By the 1920s, the number of bans had doubled. For Muslims, governed by uncodified personal law, it is acceptable and legal to marry a first cousin, but for Hindus, it may be illegal under the 1955 Hindu Marriage Act, though the specific situation is more complex. Pope Benedict XV reduced this to second cousins in 1917,[104] and finally, the current law was enacted in 1983. [188], The U.S. state of Maine allows first-cousin marriage if the couple agrees to have genetic counseling, while North Carolina allows it so long as the applicants for marriage are not rare double first cousins, meaning cousins through both parental lines. Female members of the mother's lineage are seen as only loosely related. Cousin marriage was more frequent in ancient Greece, and marriages between uncle and niece were also permitted there. Plus, your marriage license is valid for just 30 days. Reportedly, it is a custom that in such marriages at least one spouse must be a relative, and generally such spouses were the preferred or favorite wives in the marriage and gave birth to more children. [72], Roman civil law prohibited marriages within four degrees of consanguinity. First cousin marriage allowed. [177], Cross-cousin marriage also establishes a division between prescribed and prohibited relatives who, from the viewpoint of biological proximity, are strictly interchangeable. Code Wash. (ARCW) 26.09.040 (2010), Rev. This is the case even if either person lives in Ireland but you marry outside of Ireland. No preference is shown for marriages between matrilateral parallel cousins. Twenty states and the District of Columbia allow cousins to marry, while six allow first cousins to marry. This means that you can wed the children of your aunts and uncles. [165][166][167][168] The new statute made sex with an adult first cousin a more serious felony than with adult members of one's immediate family. Among double first cousin progeny, 41.2 percent of prereproductive deaths were associated with the expression of detrimental recessive genes, with equivalent values of 26.0, 14.9, and 8.1 percent for first cousins, first cousins once removed/double second cousins, and second cousins respectively. Cousin marriage were legal in ancient Rome from the Second Punic War (218201 BC), until it was banned by the Christian emperor Theodosius I in 381 in the West, and until after the death of Justinian (565) in the East,[92][93] but the proportion of such marriages is not clear. The HGC states, "Other types of genetic conditions, including chromosomal abnormalities, sex-linked conditions and autosomal dominant conditions are not influenced by cousin marriage." [134] However, Alan Bittles of the Centre for Comparative Genomics in Australia states that the risk of birth defects rises from roughly 2% in the general population to 4% for first cousins, and therefore that "It would be a mistake to ban it". OAG 71-78. [95] They further point out that since property belonging to the nobility was typically fragmented,[clarification needed] keeping current assets in the family offered no advantage, compared with acquiring it by intermarriage. Iraq was estimated in one study to have a rate of 33% for cousins marrying. Code Ann. [190] In Catholicism, close relatives who have married unwittingly without a dispensation can receive an annulment. Some of these states are: Alabama. [190] This was not always the case, however: the Catholic Church has gone through several phases in kinship prohibitions. The lowest rate for a whole Indian region was in East India (15%). Most Indian Muslims, by contrast, are the result of Hindus' conversions to Islam in the 16th century or later. And in societies with both types of descent, where a person belongs to the group of his mother's mother and father's father but not mother's father or father's mother, only cross-cousin marriages would successfully build alliances. Republican Minority Leader Marty Seifert criticized the bill in response, saying it would "turn us into a cold Arkansas". Getting married requires you to pay a fee for a marriage license. It existed in Medina during Muhammad's time, but at less than today's rates. What about a first cousin or half sibling?. ", "Part three: Western Desert kinship ethnography", "Part two: Some basic concepts of kinship", "The Surprising Truth About Cousins and Marriage", "The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Surname", "When Incest Is Best: Kissing Cousins Have More Kin", "Go Ahead, Kiss Your Cousin - DiscoverMagazine.com", "Marriage in the People's Republic of China: Analysis of a New Law", "Consanguinity and reproductive health among Arabs", Parallel Cousin (FBD) Marriage, Islamization, and Arabization, "How the early Christian church gave birth to today's WEIRD Europeans", Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, "There's nothing wrong with cousins getting married, scientists say", "First Cousin Marriages in Italy, by percentage (1930 - 1964)", "THE FIRST TEN YEARS OF THE KOREAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT", "Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China", "Cap. Moreover, the exchanging groups are not major segments of the society, but rather local descent groups from the same or closely neighboring communities. [65] A 1974 study analyzed Yoruba marriages in the town Oka Akoko, finding that among a sample of highly polygynous marriages having an average of about three wives, 51% of all pairings were consanguineous. Although certain states still have laws that prohibit same-sex marriage, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges made it legal in every state. Data on cousin marriage in the United States is sparse. So if you marry someone who is closely related to you, there is a higher likelihood of having a child with a recessive condition. [106], Taiwan and North Korea also prohibit first-cousin marriage.[7][107]. In traditional Syria-Palestina, if a girl had no paternal male cousin (father's brother's son) or he renounced his right to her, the next in line was traditionally the maternal male cousin (mother's brother's son) and then other relatives. [102] Morgan himself had married his cousin in 1853. By the 1920s, the number of states banning cousin marriage had doubled. [120] The geographic distribution is heterogeneous: in certain regions, the rate is at typical European levels, but in other areas is much higher. "So it's partly economic, and it's also partly cultural." Estate of Levie (1975, Cal App 1st Dist) was a California case on a purported first-cousin marriage contracted in Nevada. This site is protected by This couple withheld their names from publication. [156], Data on cousin marriage in the United States is sparse.

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