According to Korotayev, a systematic acceptance of parallel-cousin marriage took place when Islamization occurred together with Arabization. as far as their sixth cousins) or else purchase a dispensation from the church. The marital patterns of the Amish are also an example of endogamy. So, for example, a first cousin once removed is either the child of your first cousin or the parent of your second cousin. Jacob's brother Esau also married his first half-cousin Mahalath, daughter of Ishmael, Isaac's half-brother. [225][226][227] Long-term studies conducted on the Dalmatian islands in the Adriatic Sea have indicated a positive association between inbreeding and a very wide range of common adulthood disorders, including hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, uni/bipolar depression, asthma, gout, peptic ulcer, and osteoporosis. Another picture emerges from the large literature on congenital heart defects, which are conservatively estimated to have an incidence of 50/1,000 live births. [131], There has been a great deal of debate in the United Kingdom about whether to discourage cousin marriages through government public relations campaigns, or ban them entirely. Double first cousins have twice that of first cousins and are as related as half-siblings. [103] This includes most of the major US denominations, such as Baptist, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Methodist. [96], According to Goody, cousin marriage was allowed in the newly Christian and presumably also pre-Christian Ireland, where an heiress was also obligated to marry a paternal cousin. Md. Learn more This means that you can wed the children of your aunts and uncles. In understanding why two relatives of the same biological degree would be treated so differently, Lvi-Strauss wrote, it would be possible to understand not only the principle of cross-cousin marriage but of the incest prohibition itself. What are some cousin marriage problems? Jackson, LG. [19] But, according to the latest constitution (of 2010) of The Orthodox Church of Cyprus, second cousins may marry as the restriction is placed up to relatives of the 5th degree. For most Americans, however, marriage between cousins is at best a punchline, at worst a taboo. This practice is said to possess advantages such as resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity. To make things easier, below you will find links to laws on prohibited marriage and annulment laws in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Under Leach's model, in systems where this form of marriage segregates descent groups into wife-givers and wife-takers, the social status of the two categories also cannot be determined by a priori arguments. 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). Similarly, your first cousin shares 12.5% of your DNA while your second cousin shares just about 3%. [194], The 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia refers to a theory by the Anglican bishop of Bath and Wells speculating that Mary and Joseph, the mother of Jesus and her husband, were first cousins. June 25, 2009", "Steve Chapman. Children of first-cousin marriages have an increased risk of autosomal recessive genetic disorders, and this risk is higher in populations that are already highly ethnically similar. A cousin marriage is a marriage where the spouses are cousins (i.e. [90] Cousin marriage to third cousins is allowed and considered favorably in Greece.[91]. According to Luther and Calvin, the Catholic bans on cousin marriage were an expression of Church rather than divine law and needed to be abolished. The Middle East has uniquely high rates of cousin marriage among the world's regions. Cousin marriage was historically practiced by indigenous cultures in Australia, North America, South America, and Polynesia. In the longer term, rates may decline due to decreased family sizes, making it more difficult to find cousins to marry. Legally, yes, you can marry your adopted cousin, since you two are not blood related. In general, laws about whether it's legal to marry your cousin fall into three categories: But there are even more nuances to state laws. While some states allow these kinds of marriages, others do not. It defines the first-cousin relationship, both parallel and cross, as prohibited. District registrars must be notified and sent the relevant forms and documents. "[206], Though many Muslims practice cousins marriage now, two of the Sunni Muslims madhhabs (schools, four in total) like Shafi'i (about 33.33% of Sunni Muslims, or 29% of all Muslims) and Hanbali consider it as Makruh (disliked). [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]. There is however a big matter of contention surrounding the morality. This means you and your future spouse must meet all of the following requirements at the time the marriage takes place. Finally, according to the book of Tobit, Tobias had a right to marry Sarah because he was her nearest kinsman (Tobit 7:10), though the exact degree of their cousinship is not clear. [74] Early Medieval Europe continued the late Roman ban on cousin marriage. We all have two copies of every gene: one from mom and one from dad. famous historical figures married their cousins, Should The Law Be Kinder To 'Kissin' Cousins'? [55] In Qatar, Yemen, and UAE, consanguinity rates are increasing in the current generation. Consanguineous marriages are legal and relatively common in Afghanistan. In fact, it may even be unacceptable to marry within one's village or for two siblings to marry partners from the same village. Some of these states are: Alabama. Consequently, cross-cousin marriage can be a normal form of marriage in a society, but the other systems above can only be privileged forms. [162], Texas passed a ban on first-cousin marriage the same year as Amrhein and Andrews married, evidently in reaction to the presence of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). Cross-cousin marriage divides members of the same generation into two approximately equal groups, those of cross-cousins and "siblings" that include real siblings and parallel cousins. At FindLaw.com, we pride ourselves on being the number one source of free legal information and resources on the web. "Keeping Marriage in the Family. Next is marriage within the surra. Unlike other systems such as the levirate, the sororate, or uncle-niece marriage, cross-cousin marriage is preferential because for obvious reasons these others cannot constitute the exclusive or even preponderant rule of marriage in any group. Within the next two decades, numerous reports (e.g., one from the Kentucky Deaf and Dumb Asylum) appeared with similar conclusions: that cousin marriage sometimes resulted in deafness, blindness, and idiocy. It was estimated in 1960 that 0.2% of all marriages between Roman Catholics were between first or second cousins, but no more recent nationwide studies have been performed. CRIMINAL LAW Code Ann. [64], The Yoruba people are 50% Muslim, 40% Christian, and 10% adherent of their own indigenous religious traditions. Here the girl is not forced to marry her male cousin, but she cannot marry another unless he gives consent. ", "Lawmaker files bill raising age of marriage consent", "Trish Choate. [103], In 1846, Massachusetts Governor George N. Briggs appointed a commission to study mentally disabled people (termed "idiots") in the state. [104], These developments led to 13 states and territories passing cousin marriage prohibitions by the 1880s. It's fodder for many jokes, but seriously speaking, is it legal to marry your cousin? reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and [58] In Nigeria, the most populous country of Africa, the three largest ethnic groups in order of size are the Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo. [148], Cross-cousin and uncle-niece unions are preferential in South India, jointly accounting for some 30% of marriages in Andhra Pradesh in 1967. declining to 26% by 201516. Code of Ala. 13A-13-3. Congenital anomalies account for 41 percent of all British Pakistani infant deaths. [35][34] Eventually, in 1981, a legal ban on first-cousin marriage was enacted by the government of the People's Republic of China due to potential health concerns. And several presidents married cousins of more distant relations. [219], Even in the absence of preferential consanguinity, alleles that are rare in large populations can randomly increase to high frequency in small groups within a few generations due to the founder effect and accelerated genetic drift in a breeding pool of restricted size. [106], Taiwan and North Korea also prohibit first-cousin marriage.[7][107]. Green. First cousins can marry in 19 states. 11920, Elementary Structures of Kinship, Chapter 9, p. 122. Children of parents who are cousins or half siblings have a slightly higher (1-2%) risk of being born with a disability. [182] While Hilderbran stated that he would not have authored a bill solely to ban first-cousin marriage, he also said in an interview, "Cousins don't get married just like siblings don't get married. Instead they are 13 times more likely to develop recessive genetic disorders. [57], Cousin marriage rates from most African nations outside the Middle East are unknown. Research among Arabs and worldwide has indicated that consanguinity could have an effect on some reproductive health parameters such as postnatal mortality and rates of congenital malformations. 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. State criminal laws against incest may also effectively prohibit marriages between cousins. (New Hampshire), Texas Family Code, Title 1, Chapter 6, Subtitle B, Rev. [52][53] Throughout Middle Eastern history, cousin marriage has been both praised and discouraged by various writers and authorities. "[109] This was then encompassed in the Civil Code, which takes effect in 2021, as its Article 1048. They key difference, GIG argue, is that cousin marriage is more common amongst a British minority population. Half siblings aren't allowed to marry in North Carolina. What does it mean to be a first cousin? The Act, last amended on October 21, 2016, states: [214] Zoroastrianism allows cousin marriages. First cousins have four times the consanguinity of second cousins, while first cousins once removed have half that of first cousins. [187], Cousins are not included in the lists of prohibited relationships set out in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in Leviticus 18:818 and 20:1121 and in Deuteronomy.[3]. In Arizona, same-sex marriage was legalized in October 2014 by way of decisions in two cases: Connolly v. Jeanes and Majors v. Horne. [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%. The legal status of cousin marriage varies considerably from one U.S. states to another, ranging from being are legal in some states to being a criminal offense in others. code or county). Arranged marriages, albeit in great decline, was also done to consciously prevent accidental consanguineal and bad marriages, such that the impending in-laws were aware of each other's family histories. Ohio, NH, NV, ND, SD, WA and WY banned the practice in the 1860s, and many more had enacted bans by the 1920s. The practice was common in earlier times, and continues to be common in some societies today, though in some jurisdictions such marriages are prohibited. Increases in cousin marriage in the West may also occur as a result of immigration from Asia and Africa. Texas Representative Harvey Hilderbran, whose district includes the main FLDS compound, authored an amendment[181] to a child protection statute to both discourage the FLDS from settling in Texas and to "prevent Texas from succumbing to the practices of taking child brides, incest, welfare abuse, and domestic violence". [195] Jack Goody describes this theory as a "legend". OFFENSES AGAINST THE FAMILY", "State Laws Regarding Marriages Between First Cousins", "National Society of Genetic Counselors: NSGC Home Page", https://mechon-mamre.org/c/ct/c0436.htm%7C, http://churchofcyprus.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/KATASTATIKO_DIMOTIKI.pdf, "Parallel-Cousin (FBD) Marriage, Islamization, and Arabization. "Rich families tend to marry rich families, and from their own and the rich like to protect their wealth," he said. about FindLaws newsletters, including our terms of use and privacy policy. [185], A recent research study of 70 nations has found a statistically significant negative correlation between consanguineous kinship networks and democracy. [1] Worldwide, more than 10% of marriages are between first or second cousins. Family members who are more closely related to each other share more DNA. There may be rules and laws against incest, due to genetic concerns. According to the Clinical Genetics Handbook, children of non-related couples have a 2-3% chance of being born with a birth defect, and children of first cousins have a 4-6% chance. [82] It began to fall out of favor in the 19th century as women became socially mobile. TermsPrivacyDisclaimerCookiesDo Not Sell My Information, Begin typing to search, use arrow keys to navigate, use enter to select, Please enter a legal issue and/or a location, (city, [127] Families may encourage cousin marriage as way of assisting relatives wishing to immigrate to Germany. Thus brothers are related in the second degree, and first cousins in the fourth degree. First cousin marriage in the UK is legal, but has long been contentious. And when it happens you have a bad result. The report states that these children are 13 times more likely than the general population to produce children with genetic disorders, and one in ten children of first-cousin marriages in Birmingham either dies in infancy or develops a serious disability. Islamic view The Islamic view is that, while it is permissible to marry cousins, it is preferred to choose a partner to marry from outside one's family. Finally, one reason that MBD marriage is often most common may be the typically greater emotional warmth between a man and his mother's side of the family. People worry about not getting health insurancebut saying that someone shouldn't marry based on how they're related, when there's no known harm, to me is a form of discrimination. When the marriage procession progressed with the bride toward the house of the bridegroom, the male cousin rushed forward, snatched away the girl, and forced her into his own house. Some bar first-cousin marriages, but may allow marriages between second cousins (i.e., the children of first cousins), half-cousins, and adopted cousins. Increased focus on genetic disease in developing countries may eventually result from progress in eliminating environmental diseases there as well. So if you marry someone who is closely related to you, there is a higher likelihood of having a child with a recessive condition. Consanguinity has decreased over time and particularly since the 19th century. 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. [71] The Afar practice a form of cousin marriage called absuma that is arranged at birth and can be forced. [77] In the Catholic Church, unknowingly marrying a closely consanguineous blood relative was grounds for a declaration of nullity. Because members of Pakistani biradari have married only inside these groups for generations, offspring have higher average homozygosity even for couples with no known genetic relationship. California. A cousin marriage is a marriage in which the spouses are cousins of one another. LEXIS 1605 (2002). [205], Although marrying his cousin himself, Umar, the second Caliph, discouraged marrying within one's bloodline or close cousins recurringly over generations and advised those who had done so to marry people unrelated to them, by telling a household that did so, "You have become frail, so marry intelligent people unrelated to you. You must: Be over 18 years of age. [135] Aamra Darr of the University of Leeds has also criticized what she called an "alarmist presentation of data" that exaggerates the risk. [177], Cross-cousin marriage also establishes a division between prescribed and prohibited relatives who, from the viewpoint of biological proximity, are strictly interchangeable. [144] Practices of the small Christian minority are also location-dependent: their cousin marriage rates are higher in southern states with high overall rates. Though contemporaneous, the eugenics movement did not play much of a direct role in the bans. ", "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. [159] According to the University of Minnesota's The Wake, Kahn was aware the bill had little chance of passing, but introduced it anyway to draw attention to the issue. See, Note that marriage abroad to circumvent the laws carries criminal penalties in Wisconsin; see Wis. Stat. [146], Cousin marriage is proscribed and seen as incest for Hindus in North India. Marriage between close relatives increases the chance of certain genetic concerns. It's legal to marry your cousin in the UK - and it happens more often than you might think. "FLDS TRIAL: All eyes still on Jessop, for now", "85th Texas Legislature: News, issues, commentary & more", "PENAL CODE CHAPTER 25. [66], The Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria, who are predominantly Christian, strictly practice non-consanguineal marriages, where kinfolks and cousins are not allowed to marry or have intimacy. Othervariantsare neutral, and dont seem to do anything. [102] Morgan himself had married his cousin in 1853. (See Incidence. 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". [11] Children of more distantly related cousins have less risk of these disorders, though still higher than the average population. In April 2002, the Journal of Genetic Counseling released a report which estimated the average risk of birth defects in a child born of first cousins at 1.12.0 percentage points above the average base risk for non-cousin couples of 3%, or about the same as that of any woman over age 40. This is the case even if either person lives in Ireland but you marry outside of Ireland. [6][7] The laws of many jurisdictions set out the degree of consanguinity prohibited among sexual relations and marriage parties. This led to a gradual shift in concern from affinal unions, like those between a man and his deceased wife's sister, to consanguineous unions. Of the three types of institution of exogamy rules, dual organization, and cross-cousin marriage, the last was most significant, making the analysis of this form of marriage the crucial test for any theory of marriage prohibitions. [33][34], In Ku-feng hsien, in the district of Ch'u chou [Kiangsu]. [152] It is unknown what proportion of that number were first cousins, which is the group facing marriage bans. [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. Perhaps most important was the report of physician Samuel Merrifield Bemiss for the American Medical Association, which concluded cousin inbreeding does lead to the "physical and mental deprivation of the offspring". The lowest rate for a whole Indian region was in East India (15%). Where permissible, marriage to a close relative is hence regarded as a more economically feasible choice. [22][23] In ancient China, some evidence indicates in some cases, two clans had a longstanding arrangement wherein they would only marry members of the other clan. You, your siblings, and your first, second,and third cousins are all of the same generation. Another cousin couple stated that their children's maternal grandparents have never met their two grandchildren because the grandparents severed contact out of disapproval for the couple's marriage. [3] One example is King Leonidas I of Sparta, who married his half-niece Gorgo. Most crucially, cross-cousin marriage is the only type of preferential union that can function normally and exclusively and still give every man and woman the chance to marry a cross-cousin. Correspondingly, in societies like China with patrilineal descent, marriage to a father's brother's daughter would fail at alliance building. [2] Put differently, a single first-cousin marriage entails a similar increased risk of birth defects and mortality as a woman faces when she gives birth at age 41 rather than at 30. Which countries do not allow cousins to marry? Code Wash. (ARCW) 26.09.040 (2010), Rev. District of Columbia. Spain and Noricum were exceptions to this rule, but even there, the rates did not rise above 10%. Can 1st cousins marry? Only Austria, Hungary, and Spain banned cousin marriage throughout the 19th century, with dispensations being available from the government in the last two countries. [36], Cousin marriage has been allowed throughout the Middle East for all recorded history. In some societies around the world, marrying a first cousin is often preferable,. [97] In contrast, contemporary English law was based on official Catholic policy, and Anglo-Norman clergy often became disgusted with the Irish "law of fornication". Scientist Albert Einstein married his second cousin Elsa. "According to the Marriage Act of 1961 [cousins] can marry," Genealogy SA's Beryl Schahinger told ABC Radio Adelaide 's Afternoons program. Same-Sex Marriage in Arizona. However, these results may principally reflect village endogamy rather than consanguinity per se. Beyong that, state laws get a little more complicated. For your marriage to be legally valid in Ireland, you must both have the capacity to marry each other. That's why it may be a good idea to consult an experienced local family lawyer for advice on whether it's legal to marry your cousin where you live. There are only six states that allow marriages between first cousins, with restrictions, while 19 states allow first-cousin marriages without any restrictions at all.