[imagesource:blackandwhitepictures]
A Conservative ex-minister has stirred things up by suggesting the UK should ban first-cousin marriages.
For now, the UK sticks to its existing rules: you can’t marry your sibling, parent, or child, but first cousins? Totally fine.
Pitching against this in Parliament, Richard Holden claimed kids of first cousins have a higher chance of birth defects, so outlawing the practice would supposedly be a win for public health.
But independent MP Iqbal Mohamed shot back that a ban wouldn’t actually solve anything and argued that education campaigns to highlight the risks would do a better job, per the BBC.
Meanwhile, Downing Street chimed in to say the science on the risks is clear—though they politely dodged doing anything about it, hinting that there’s no room in the government’s busy diary to back such bills anytime soon.
Holden also pointed out that while first-cousin marriages aren’t exactly trending in Western countries, certain communities, like Irish Travellers and British Pakistanis, see rates as high as 20-40%.
The MP for Basildon and Billericay quoted research claiming that the child of first cousins has about double the chance of inheriting a serious disorder compared to kids of unrelated parents.
Towing the line between cultural prejudice and public good, Holden also threw in the idea that the practice threatens women’s freedom.
“Women and girls living under a clan mentality often know the scientific risks of first-cousin marriage, but make considered social and cultural calculations,” he told MPs. “Strict honour codes, where expressions of individuality can be subject to social isolation, violence and even death in some cases, dominate thinking.”
He said first-cousin marriage was “not really conducive to modern British society”, adding: “It’s about more than one marriage. It’s about the values and foundations of our society and our democracy.”
Speaking against the proposals, Mohamed said he agreed there were health risks associated with first-cousin marriage and that forced marriage must be prevented.
“However, the way to redress this is not to empower the state to ban adults from marrying each other, not least because I don’t think it would be effective or enforceable,” the MP for Dewsbury and Batley said.
“Instead, the matter needs to be approached as a health awareness issue and a cultural issue, where women are being forced against their will to undergo marriage.”
Mohamed added that instead of “stigmatising those who are in cousin marriages or those inclined to be”, a much more constructive approach would be to facilitate advanced genetic test screening for prospective married couples, as well as running health education programs targeting those communities where the practice is most common.
Working with the target people in solving problems often works better than imposing restrictions that make it even more impossible for them to live.
[source:bbc]
