It has long been known that marriages between close relatives are fraught with poor heredity.
Such an opinion appeared on the basis of life practice.
A large number of noble families died out in ancient times, as they did not avoid incest.
Religion and science do not approve of such things at all.
Simply because there is a high risk of having children born dead or with large deviations. People will regenerate.
That is why in our country there is a law that does not allow close relatives, the first generation, to register relationships. But, the restriction does not apply to marriage between cousins. This is due to a lower likelihood of the appearance of pathologies and their offspring.
Article navigation
What does the law say
In ancient times, it was customary to bind oneself only with relatives, for the purity of the family.
Then people did not think about genetics.
Currently, registration of relations between relatives of the first generation is prohibited and in some countries even refers to a crime.
In our country, on the basis of Art. 14 UK you can not enter into marriage with close people:
- mother, father and their offspring
- grandmother, grandfather and grandchildren
- siblings and brothers
- adoptive parents and adoptees
But, the employees of the registry office do not require additional evidence of the absence of kinship.
Important! Marriage between adoptive parents and adopted children is allowed in case of cancellation of official adoption.
As for more distant relatives, the legislation does not impose restrictions on them. This includes cousins and second cousins. Also uncles and aunts. In general, representatives of a more distant relationship than the first tribe.
Marriages between cousins are allowed under the law of the Russian Federation, but citizens react negatively to such.
Even temporary registration between family members of the first tribe is unacceptable. Even a pregnant woman cannot sign with a relative. Although, in fact, what is the meaning of this.
Nevertheless, if you rely on practice, in fact such a marriage can be concluded. Because the law does not oblige registry office employees to confirm or deny the existence of family ties. When a couple is silent about the existence of such ties, they will be signed, but when this fact is clarified, the marriage is declared legally invalid.
Important! In Russia, only officially registered relationships matter.
It's no secret that everyone has the opportunity to simply live in civilian life. When people strongly desire to be together, the lack of official registration will not interfere with them. But there is another side to the issue and that is genetics.
For more than a decade, people have understood that during an intimate life between family members, children with various types of deviations may appear.
This is due to the high probability of meeting the same gene in their offspring.
It will not affect the woman and the man.
But the children born to them are likely to be with serious pathologies.
Therefore, in such a relationship, in addition to condemnation, you can also encounter big unpleasant ones. Sometimes cousins come to the decision to build a cell of society. Having taken this step, it is better to play it safe and undergo a medical examination.
The doctor finds out the percentage of hereditary diseases, establishes the degree of relationship, as well as the likelihood of the birth of sick offspring. In most cases, distant relatives do not have pathologies.
If we take into account the close relationship, then here are the following percentages of the occurrence of pathologies:
- 24% chance of having a dead baby
- death of a baby at an early age - 34%
- risk of deformity - 48%
Before building a relationship with a relative, you should think about the degree of risk of giving birth to patients. The law does not establish a restriction on the registration of relations of cousins, since such relations carry a lower risk for offspring.
Results of the latest scientific research
Modern scholars have ceased to be critical of marriage between cousins.
This is in line with recent research findings.
Of course, there is a percentage of pathologies, but it is very small. However, before entering into such a relationship, scientists recommend conducting a genetic test.
This will help to avoid the consequences, that is, the birth of handicapped children. Such relationships affect many aspects, mostly social.
However, how can you judge people who made their own decisions. To insist on the opposite, no one has the right. It is enough just to mention the presence of the probability of pathology.
According to scientific research, the risk of having a handicapped child from the connection of cousins is only 1.7% more than when a baby appears in an ordinary family.
In fact, the risk of having children in other categories of people is much higher than this. For example, the appearance of a baby in a family of alcoholics or women over 40 years old. Although such marriages are not controlled.
It turns out, from a scientific point of view, marriage between cousins has no consequences on a global level. Children with pathologies can be born only in a small percentage of such families.
In life, there are many people born from cousins:
- Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, for example, was born from the relationship of an uncle and a second cousin.
- No less famous Charles Darwin had a cousin-wife. They had ten children. True, three died still small, but many of the remaining ones achieved great success in public life.
- What can we say about Cleopatra. She was the daughter of a brother and sister. The traditions of Egypt did not forbid such marriages; on the contrary, they did not welcome incest. The queen herself was a true beauty and more than once married her relatives.
- Rudy Julian turned New York into a metropolis. Before Julian became mayor, he was the representative of the prosecution in the judiciary. Not without his participation, the gangster John Gott was imprisoned for the rest of his life. Julian married a cousin, although they divorced after 14 years.
- In the eighties, Greta Skachi was a sex symbol. Her cousin Carlo could not resist her either. This is a completely normal family. They had a son. Their relationship caused a real resonance, because of which Greta's career ended.
- Everyone knows Einstein, who is simply a genius. He developed a huge number of physical theories and earned the Nobel Prize. His wife was a second cousin, Elsa.
- The famous, former president of Iraq, had many wives, one of which was his cousin.
- One of the famous bandits of the Wild West, Jesse James, had a cousin as his wife. Two quite healthy children were born in their family.
Despite the fact that the percentage of handicapped children between cousins is low, the United States has introduced a ban on such marriages. This greatly affected the abortion statistics. Scientists are not sure that this discrimination will end soon, but it is unlikely that anything will prevent people from living together if they want it themselves.
Scientists have proven that children born from a relationship of cousins \u200b\u200band sisters have almost equal chances of pathology, like any other babies.
First of all, countries that impose a ban on such marriages pursue social goals rather than medical ones.
All scientists are sure that such laws have no basis. Simply because the probability of the appearance of an unhealthy offspring in such families exceeds the standard situation by only 2%.
But no one takes into account that people over forty years old can be parents. In addition, this deviation includes drug addicts and alcoholics. And they, as you know, are more likely to give birth to a patient.
One of the most important stages in life is the creation of a separate unit of society. All civilized countries have introduced a restriction on the registration of relations of family members belonging to the first generation. Russia is no exception.
On the video you can see what will happen if the brother and sister have children:
Ask your question in the form below
The second wife of Albert Einstein was his cousin Elsa Leventhal, who loved her cousin without memory and lived with him until her death, despite her husband's numerous infidelities. Charles Darwin also married his cousin, making this decision absolutely consciously and writing down all the pros and cons on a piece of paper. For centuries, marrying cousins was the norm. And in the modern world, such unions are not uncommon. True, today genetics acts as a strict judge in such amorous cases. Scientists warn: the consequences of closely related marriages can be the most unpredictable. After all, the likelihood of having a child with genetic abnormalities increases significantly.
Photo repina-event.ulcraft.com
We have marriages with cousins and second cousins and sisters are not prohibited. By law, it is impossible to seal the union only between relatives in a direct ascending and descending line (mothers and sons, fathers and daughters, grandmothers and grandchildren, grandfathers and granddaughters), full and half brothers and sisters, as well as adoptive parents and adopted children. In Minsk registry offices, they are reluctant to talk about family marriages: they say, yes, it happens that people with the same surname come to register their relationship. It is possible, in principle, to conduct a small investigation and find out who the bride and groom are to each other, but there is little point in this - why get into the personal lives of adults if they do nothing forbidden? On the whole, according to the specialists of the registry offices, “cousin” marriages are rare in our country. And these alliances are concluded most often in rural areas. Sometimes in a village, most of whose inhabitants have the same last name, it is not so easy to figure out who is who and who is related. So the probability of marrying a close relative is very high ...
Einstein with his wife Elsa. Photo www.albert-einstein.ru
But in Tajikistan, the problem of related marriages was taken care of at the highest level. Since July 1, unions with cousins and second cousins \u200b\u200band are officially prohibited in the country. In addition, before registering a marriage, young people must undergo a medical examination. Why is this "twisting the screws"? In fact, the decision was made in order to save the gene pool of the nation. The thing is that marriages between relatives, especially in rural areas of Tajikistan, are widespread. For example, in the Sughd region, 385 related marriages were registered. And Tajik deputies give examples of families in which 3-4 children have various malformations. “Deaf, blind children are born from healthy parents. We conducted a large-scale survey throughout the country, and the results revealed that it was the factor of related marriages that caused disability,” says MP Gulbahor Ashurova. Now they are determining the list of medical tests that must be taken before the wedding, and are also working on a mechanism for controlling couples who marry. It is assumed that violators of the new law will have to pay a fine. By the way, in the Supreme Assembly of Tajikistan, not all deputies voted for the abolition of kindred unions: after all, this is a tradition that has a long history. By the way, as in many other states professing Islam: in the countries of the Middle East, up to 60% of unions are between cousins and second cousins.
Ali Voronovich. Photo citydog.by
According to Ali Voronovich, Mufti of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Belarus, marriages with cousins are indeed allowed in the Islamic tradition, but it is desirable that there be no close relationship:
You cannot marry a mother (as well as a grandmother, great-grandmother, and so on), a daughter (as well as a granddaughter, great-granddaughter, and so on), a sister with whom at least one parent is common, an aunt (also a sister of a grandmother or grandfather), a niece. It is also impossible to marry a mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, stepdaughter and stepmother, a milk mother and a milk sister - even if a man and a woman do not have family ties, but they were fed by the same nurse, they are forbidden to marry. In Belarus, I think, there is no problem of closely related marriages. I only once saw a couple in which the husband and wife were each other's second cousins and sisters. And in Muslim countries, such a problem, I think, is typical for a society with a low level of education of the population. Sometimes such unions are an agreement between the parents of the bride and groom. For example, it is necessary to marry a brother and sister in order to preserve the state of the clan, prosperity, which should not go beyond the family. I think young people are married even without their will, but Islam basically forbids this, marriages without voluntary consent are not even considered marriages. Although some poorly educated people believe that such unions are a manifestation of the Islamic tradition. This is not true.
Emma Wedgwood - Charles Darwin. Photo allinteresting.ru
Virginia Clemm - Edgar Allan Poe
COMPETENT
Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, Head of the Laboratory of Human Genetics of the Republican Center for Genomic Biotechnologies of the Institute of Genetics and Cytology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Irma Mosse:
The number of genes in all people is the same, but these genes differ in variants - in the gene one nucleotide is replaced by another. That is why some have brown eyes, others have blue, different skin and hair colors. There are also dangerous variants, which are called mutations or adverse polymorphisms. As a rule, pathological genes do not appear if they are in the singular. And if two pathological ones “meet”, then pathology will manifest itself. This also happens if a couple who are related by blood have children. They share the same unfavorable gene variants. Therefore, the more distant the marriages, the better. Now people travel a lot, move from place to place and marry representatives of other nationalities. From a genetic point of view, this is very good.
BY THE WAY
British scientists from the University of Leeds examined more than 11,300 children from the Pakistani community of the English city of Bradford, where marriages between cousins are common. They found that the birth rate of children with birth defects was 2 times higher than the national average (305.74 cases per 10,000 newborns versus 165.90). According to scientists, a close relationship between father and mother increased the risk of having children with congenital anomalies much more than smoking and drinking alcohol during pregnancy.
CURIOUS
They played together in the sandbox, met at family lunches and dinners, exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve, and then ... got married. Celebrities who chose their mate from among their relatives have similar family histories. At one time, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Johann Sebastian Bach, Edgar Poe, Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Rachmaninov, Edvard Grieg entered into a marriage alliance with cousins. Such marriages were also the norm in royal families: however, few people thought about the serious consequences of incest at that time. So it turned out that one of the most powerful European dynasties - the Habsburgs - simply degenerated. Its last representative - King of Spain Charles II the Bewitched - is a real victim of a genetic catastrophe. Unlike an ordinary person, who has 32 different ancestors in the fifth generation, Karl had only 10 of them. The ruler had a lot of genetic abnormalities. The long lower jaw and tongue prevented him from speaking and chewing normally, the king was very tall with a disproportionately large head. He suffered from epilepsy, bone softening, scrofula, often suffered from diarrhea ... A group of researchers who studied the data of three thousand relatives of the Habsburg dynasty calculated the coefficient of inbreeding (family ties) for some of its representatives. So, for the founder of the dynasty, Philip I, this figure was 0.025. This means that 2.5% of his genes appeared due to closely related ties. And for Karl, this coefficient was an order of magnitude higher. The result, as they say, is obvious.
In the occurrence of hereditary diseases, great importance is attached to consanguineous marriages, i.e., such marriage unions when the spouses have one or more common ancestors.
It has long been noted that children from these marriages will be born weaker, which is manifested in increased morbidity and mortality. Moreover, the adverse effects are more pronounced, the closer the degree of kinship of the parents. The role of consanguinity is especially evident when studying the pedigrees of children with relatively rare hereditary diseases. Thus, the frequency of marriages between cousins in Europe and North America is on average 1%, and their frequency in diseases such as albinism, ichthyosis, can reach 18-53%.
The frequency of consanguineous marriages is different among the population of different countries and regions. Thus, according to the American geneticist Kurt Stern, in Brazil, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States, the frequency of marriages between cousins is relatively low and ranges from 0.4 to 0.05%. However, in a number of other countries it is still very high. For example, in India in cities it is 12.9%, and in rural areas - 33.3%, in Japan - 5.03 and 16.4%, respectively.
It is known that the conclusion of consanguineous marriages is usually facilitated by economic, domestic, legal, religious, geographical, historical, etc.
People have long realized the harm of family marriages, and even in ancient times there were prohibition laws. At present, in most countries and regions of the world, custom or law expressly or implicitly forbids marriages between relatives.
What is the danger of related marriages for the health of the offspring? The correct answer can be obtained by referring to genetics. It is believed that every person is a carrier of some pathological genes, that is, in the language of geneticists, each of us, being healthy, is a heterozygous carrier of certain harmful genes. Among the relatives of one family there are many identical genes, i.e. they (although healthy) are heterozygous carriers for the same pathological gene, and therefore, in a related marriage, two heterozygotes of the same type can meet and the birth of a child is homozygous.
Thus, related marriages are dangerous in that they dramatically increase the risk of union between two carriers of the same disease.
History shows that in some social groups, consanguineous marriages have been encouraged for centuries. So, the ancient Egyptians and Incas in the ruling dynasties, avoiding the "contamination" of royal blood, encouraged marriages between siblings.
It was believed that family marriages were even useful, that they could, as it were, summarize the favorable signs of ancestors. It is known that in some cases inbreeding (family marriages) leads to the birth of outstanding personalities. The famous artist Toulouse-Lautrec, who came from the marriage of a cousin and sister, is usually cited as an example. The great Russian poet A. S. Pushkin was born from a related marriage.
However, humanity has more extensive information about the dangers of related marriages for human health. Numerous examples of consanguineous marriages among royal families show their harmful effect on offspring. In 1906, the American researcher Adam Woods published a solid book on the inheritance of mental abilities and moral qualities in kings (“Mental and moral heredity in royalty”). He presents an analysis of the genealogical trees of the royal house of Hanover, Hohenzollern, Condé, Bourbon, Habsburg, Oldenburg.
It is quite natural that many of the conclusions of the American researcher in our time sound naive. Maybe if Woods at that time had modern knowledge of genetics and the possibilities of medicine, he would probably have been able to identify something in common among the members of these families, for example, metabolic disorders, and thus would have explained such frequent disorders of their nervous system. .
In this regard, the pedigree of the so-called "royal porphyria", published relatively recently - in 1968, may be of some interest to the reader. Porphyria is a rare but severe hereditary disease with a recessive type of transmission. The disease is believed to be based on an increased formation of alpha-aminolevulinic acid in the body, which is accompanied by an increased excretion of a special substance porphobilinogen in the urine (port-wine-colored urine). The disease is not manifested by constant, but very severe pain in the abdomen and disorders of the nervous system. The pedigree of "royal porphyria" shows that this disease was inherited in the dynasties of the Stuarts, Georgs (House of Hanover) and Hohenzollerps. It is suggested that this serious illness can explain some of the insane acts of Mary Stuart, the cruelty of James I and James II, the madness of George III and George IV and other monarchs.
The well-known Soviet geneticist V. I. Efroimson explains this susceptibility of royal dynasties to hereditary ailments not only by consanguineous marriages, but also by the lack of natural selection.
A significant role in maintaining a relatively high frequency of related marriages is played by various national, religious, territorial and other factors of isolation. In this regard, the study of the health status of the population living in isolates has attracted the attention of geneticists.
Isolates include population groups that, due to different conditions (geographical, religious, social, historical, etc.), lead an isolated lifestyle. Due to the small population in these groups, it can be very difficult to find a bride or groom, and marriages take place mainly within this small community. Such isolates are not uncommon, they still exist in many countries of the world. More often they arise in the conditions of the Far North in the form of small settlements torn off from each other by impassable roads or in the south, in mountainous or desert areas.
Currently, within the framework of the international biological program in many countries, scientists are conducting joint studies of the biological characteristics of different ethnic groups and isolates: in South America, the Middle East, the Hawaiian and Solomon Islands, the Eskimos of Greenland, Alaska.
Isolates are also different socio-economic or racial strata in crowded cities, wherever a group of people, part of a larger population, has a tendency to marry only people of their “circle”, and this continues for many generations. For example, Jewish communities in England and Germany, Old Believers, Indians in the USA.
As we have already noted, a characteristic property of isolates is a high frequency of related marriages, or inbreeding. In isolates, the number of carriers for one "harmful" gene can reach more than 60%, and in the presence of frequent related marriages, the risk of "splitting of homozygotes", i.e., the appearance of patients with hereditary defects, becomes very high. These are not theoretical calculations, these are well-known facts.
In Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, France and other countries, examination of various isolates has revealed new, previously unknown recessive mutations in humans. It turned out that the population of each isolate is characterized by its own hereditary anomalies.
Thus, genetics shows not only the social harm of caste, sectarianism, chauvinism, but also their direct threat to human health. Economic progress, improved means of communication, increased welfare and culture, sanitary and hygienic knowledge led to the inevitable breakdown of isolates. The intensified process of migration and urbanization of the population leads to a significant decrease in the factors of isolation and the frequency of consanguineous marriages. Scientists argue that the number of mixed marriages is constantly increasing, and this reduces the frequency of hereditary diseases.
If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.
The situation is really difficult. You are each other's distant relatives, namely the fourth cousin and sister, and your parents, respectively, second cousins or sisters. And although the degree of your relationship is very distant, the seventh, you still came from the same family. The question of your possible marriage must be considered from several positions: ethical, religious, legal, scientific.
The position of the church
If you are baptized into Orthodoxy, there are no canonical obstacles to your marriage. Since the 19th century, the wedding of fourth cousins is allowed without special permission from the bishop, which is required when marrying relatives with a closer relationship, for example, second cousins, who are also crowned in practice.
If we talk about Islam, then people baptized in this religion marry even with a closer relationship. So, among Muslims, marriage between cousins is possible, not to mention the seventh degree of kinship, like you.
Law
The Family Code of the Russian Federation defines a restriction on marriage between relatives in a direct ascending and descending line, which is enshrined in Article 14 of the RF IC. We are talking about parents and children, grandfather / grandmother and granddaughter / grandson, brothers and sisters who have common parents. As regards more distant degrees of kinship, the law allows marriage between first cousins, second cousins, fourth cousins, etc. brothers and sisters.
Genetics
The question of your future offspring deserves special attention, because it is known that a close relationship between spouses increases the likelihood of autosomal recessive pathology in children. It is believed that the probability of a hereditary disease in offspring in a consanguineous marriage is higher, the more closely related are the parents of the child.
Of course, the risk of having a child with a genetic disease or malformation in your case is not very high. Everything will depend on whether you are simultaneous carriers of the same mutant genes in a latent state. A geneticist can help you answer this question. It is necessary for you to address on internal consultation of the expert. At the appointment, a pedigree will be compiled for you, according to which the proportion of common genes will be calculated.
As a rule, the examination for genetic compatibility of spouses includes a blood test for HLA antigens. During the period of bearing a child, in order to exclude gross anomalies of its development, a triple test is carried out, which is included in the mandatory program for diagnosing pregnancy, i.e. well-known pregnancy screening.
Thus, there are no real obstacles to your marriage, provided that your families approve of it. And although a genetics consultation will not hurt you at all, the risks of pathologies in your future children are minimized.
Marriages between relatives in 2018: first cousins, second cousins
In most civilized countries, marriage unions between close relatives are prohibited: parents and children, sisters and brothers. Such marriages fall under the category of "incest" and lead to the birth of sick offspring with serious genetic anomalies and deformities. But marrying distant relatives is not the best choice. Marriages between cousins, second cousins, and even more distant relatives on the family tree can easily provoke the appearance of deviations in offspring.
Elementary laws of genetics
Charles Darwin was the first to think about questions of heredity. He was married to his cousin Emma Wedgwood. The couple had 10 children. Three babies died in early childhood, others were very weak in health. Darwin took every death and illness of his offspring hard. He suspected that the reason for the poor health of almost all the children was his relationship with his wife. Later, these thoughts were reflected in the works of the scientist.
Much time has passed since then, and genetics has advanced far in its development. Now geneticists know for sure that each of us has dominant and recessive genes. In relatives, these genes are very similar, which gives a huge share of the probability of obtaining unhealthy offspring when crossing. And the most dangerous are not so much dominant as recessive genes. These are hidden, as if dormant signs of one quality or another (not only the color of the eyes or the length of the legs, but also various hereditary diseases).
The more distinct sets of genes are crossed - which is possible only in unrelated marriages - the less likely a child is to get a hereditary disease that is "encoded" in the recessive gene of one of the parents. And vice versa: the closer the relationship between husband and wife, the higher the chances of stillbirth, miscarriage or the birth of a baby with a deformity of mental or physical development.
Facts in Percentage
In modern genetics, the crossing of closely related individuals is called inbreeding. The higher the inbreeding coefficient, the greater the chance that recessive genes for hereditary diseases will meet. So for an uncle and niece, it is 1/8, for a cousin and a cousin - 1/16, for second cousins and sisters - 1/32, for fourth cousins - 1/64.
Even if the degree of relationship is greater, the inbreeding coefficient will still be sufficient for a child in a pair of distant relatives to die in the womb or be born mentally retarded or physically underdeveloped. This percentage and the regularity associated with it was described by a geneticist of the highest category, professor and author of many scientific works on genetics, Elena Leonidovna Dadali.
Distant relationship is also dangerous because spouses may not even be aware of their blood ties and the presence of an undesirable recessive gene. The birth of a sick child then becomes a complete surprise and a very painful blow to the well-being of the couple. When marrying people who do not have any kindred ties, the percentage of coincidences of mutant recessive genes is negligible, therefore children are born healthy.
Mutant recessive genes are a very dangerous thing, hidden from prying eyes like a time bomb. They can cause a variety of mutations, ranging from albinism and deafness to such severe ailments as hemophilia or Tay-Sachs disease. The latter is common in some peoples of the world and is fraught with severe lesions of the nervous system. A sick child never lives longer than 4 years.
Hemophilia, as you know, suffered from representatives of the Russian royal family. But these 2 ailments are only the tiny tip of the iceberg of hereditary diseases that a meeting of mutant recessive genes can provoke. Only genetic analysis can warn her, which is a normal pre-wedding practice in many civilized countries of the world.
Marriages between cousins are safe
Marriages between cousins and sisters have been under a moral ban for many years. And in 31 of the states of America, they are generally outlawed. But the theory of genetic incompatibility underlying such beliefs does not find scientific confirmation. And now the scientific community is fighting for the right of everyone to marry their loved one. Even if it's his cousin or cousin.
Even during the years of the sexual revolution, marriage between first cousins remained taboo. But British researchers have come to the conclusion that all laws prohibiting such marriages are nothing more than a legitimate form of genetic and sexual discrimination.
Zoologists Hamish Spencer and Diana Paul have studied modern statistics and historical data for many years to come to the unequivocal conclusion: “Children born from cousin marriages have the same chance of birth defects and genetic diseases as any other babies.” Scientists attribute the ban on such families primarily to social rather than medical factors.
In the United States, known for its patriarchy, cousin marriage was outlawed immediately after the Civil War. However, Spencer and Paul believe that this has nothing to do with the risk of having sick children, but was done only to strengthen the power of the state over the private life of citizens.
“Unlike Britain and other European countries, consanguineous marriages in the United States were associated not with the aristocracy and the privileged classes, but with immigrants and the poorest sections of the population,” the authors write in the monograph.
Martin Ottenheimer, an anthropologist at the University of Kansas, takes a different view. In his book American Cousin Marriage Myths, he criticizes a discredited 19th-century theory about the genetic dangers of such family unions.
Regardless of motivation, all scientists point out that existing laws have no scientific justification. The National Society of Geneticists of the United States, operating with up-to-date statistical data, claims that the probability of genetic defects in children born in related marriages is only 2-3% higher than in other newborns. At the same time, it is noted that such a deviation is leveled against the background of a huge number of sick children from families of drug addicts and alcoholics.
“This is a covert form of discrimination that is preferred to remain silent,” said Robin Bennett, one of the leaders of the society of geneticists. “If a person cannot marry a partner that suits him, then I can’t call it any other word.”
The illegality of relations between cousins greatly affects the abortion statistics in the United States. “These laws are archaic, outdated and counterproductive,” argues Martin Ottenheimer. “But this is no longer a scientific issue, but a political one, requiring a revision of the social structure of society,” Hamish Spencer supports the dialogue.
Scientists are not sure that such discrimination will be stopped in the coming years. But if cousins want to marry, then they can be sure that science is not a hindrance to them.
Can love conquer all? If you do not think for a long time, then the answer to this question will certainly be romantically positive. But if we recall some historical and modern prohibitions and barriers, then the unambiguity of such an answer can be called into question. For example, sometimes people from different social strata simply cannot be together, and in other cases, love disappears under the influence of time and distance. But there is another kind of prohibitions associated with love and, accordingly, with marriage. This is a ban on marriages between relatives. At the same time, the greatest disputes are being waged precisely over the marriages of cousins. Why is this so, and is marriage between cousins really undesirable?
Why is marriage between cousins the most resonant in society? Everything is very simple here. Marriages between relatives of the first degree of kinship are a priori forbidden, and almost everyone agrees with this. Marriages between distant relatives, although not particularly approved, are not strongly condemned. But marriages between cousins are just the front line, on which there are constant battles between scientists, doctors, church ministers, and, most importantly, between relatives of those who want to enter into such a marriage.
How was it before?
What do scientists say?
In today's society, marriages between cousins are not so common. However, the attitude to this phenomenon in different nationalities is different. In many Asian countries, as well as in small communities whose inhabitants have little to no interaction with the rest of society, cousin marriage is either welcome or almost inevitable. There are no legal prohibitions on such marriages in Europe either. But in America, cousins cannot always officially become husband and wife, since in 24 American states such marriages are prohibited, and in 7 states they are possible, but subject to mandatory conditions, for example, passing a genetic examination.
That is why marriages between first cousins must be medically approved. Of course, it is impossible to completely exclude the possibility of a coincidence of two identically altered genes, but it is still possible to reduce the risk of genetic diseases and anomalies in the offspring. In the process of talking with potential parents, geneticists carefully examine the incidence of several previous generations, establish the percentage of hereditary diseases, and also determine the nature of the relationship between a man and a woman.
Some of the modern scientists have ceased to be categorical about such a phenomenon as marriages between cousins. And the reason for this was scientific research, during which it turned out that the risk of genetic abnormalities in a child born from cousins is only a few percent higher.
The problem of marriages between cousins affects a lot of different aspects, both moral, spiritual, and physiological. It is hardly possible to condemn people who take such a step, since this is only their choice, and no one has the right to persistently influence it. But each of us will have our own opinion on this issue, and we also have the right to it.
Marriages between cousins
Corset Tank Top Waist Trainer! Stock
Can love conquer all? If you do not think for a long time, then the answer to this question will certainly be romantically positive. But if we recall some historically established and modern prohibitions and barriers, then the unambiguity of such an answer can be called into question. For example, sometimes people from different social strata simply cannot be together, and in other cases, love disappears under the influence of time and distance. But there is another type of prohibition associated with love and, accordingly, with marriage. This is a ban on marriages between relatives. At the same time, the greatest disputes are being waged precisely over the marriages of cousins. Why this is so, and whether marriages between cousins are really undesirable, the women's magazine JustLady will tell today.
Why exactly marriages between cousins relatives cause the greatest resonance in society? Everything is very simple here. Marriages between relatives of the first degree of kinship are a priori forbidden, and almost everyone agrees with this. Marriages between distant relatives, although not particularly approved, are not strongly condemned. And here marriages between cousins relatives - this is just the front line, on which there are constant battles between scientists, doctors, church ministers, and, most importantly, between relatives of those who want to enter into such a marriage.
How was it before?
History keeps many facts of related marriages, and the reasons for their conclusion were very different. One of the most significant reasons were considered political and financial. Royal dynasties used to not let strangers into their circle, and marriages were concluded exclusively between persons from royal families. It is clear that there were much more ordinary people who did not belong to royal families, but the number of representatives of royal dynasties did not always allow finding worthy spouses without any degree of kinship.
Épilage hair removal product
In addition, quite often the reason for marriages between relatives was the idea of some nationalities that money should not leave the family.
There were also other reasons for consanguineous marriages, such as the reluctance to mix blood. Such ideas about the ideal marriage were distinguished by aristocratic families, who carefully treated the history of their surnames.
What do scientists say?
Now, after many hundreds of years, modern scientists say that it was marriages between relatives that became the reason for the extinction of the dynasty of the Egyptian pharaohs. After all, geneticists constantly talk about the increased likelihood of all kinds of physiological abnormalities in the offspring of those who enter into consanguineous marriages. And a striking confirmation of this, according to scientists, are all the same royal dynasties, in which children suffered from hereditary anomalies much more often and were generally less viable compared to other children born in marriages between people who did not have family ties.
In addition, in contrast to the theory of the perniciousness of mixing blood, modern scientists cite another theory, according to which the more blood is mixed, the more healthy, beautiful and mentally developed the offspring will be.
In today's society, marriages between cousins are not so common. However, the attitude to this phenomenon in different nationalities is different. In many Asian countries, as well as in small communities whose inhabitants have little to no interaction with the rest of society, cousin marriage is either welcome or almost inevitable. There are no legal prohibitions on such marriages in Europe either. But in America, cousins cannot always officially become husband and wife, since in 24 American states such marriages are prohibited, and in 7 states they are possible, but subject to mandatory conditions, for example, passing a genetic examination.
Cousin Marriages: Potential Risks
In addition to the condemnation from relatives and religion, there are also certain medical risks associated with the birth of offspring from first cousins.
These medical risks are explained very simply. The fact is that relatives are much more likely to have the same hidden changes in genes. For both a woman and a man, such a hidden gene change does not pose any danger (that's why it is hidden). But if such a woman and a man, who have the same ancestors, think about offspring, then the likelihood increases that their child will not have a hidden gene change.
That's why marriages between cousins relatives must be medically approved. Of course, it is impossible to completely exclude the possibility of a coincidence of two identically altered genes, but it is still possible to reduce the risk of genetic diseases and anomalies in the offspring. In the process of talking with potential parents, geneticists carefully examine the incidence of several previous generations, establish the percentage of hereditary diseases, and also determine the nature of the relationship between a man and a woman.
Based on the results of such genetic studies, it is determined how likely it is that offspring with genetic abnormalities will appear.
Latest scientific research
Some of the modern scientists have ceased to be categorical about such a phenomenon as marriages between cousins relatives. And the reason for this was scientific research, during which it turned out that the risk of genetic abnormalities in a child born from cousins is only a few percent higher.
But in any case, without a genetic examination, doctors do not advise cousins to think about the birth of joint children.
Problem marriages between cousins relatives affects a lot of different aspects, both moral, spiritual, and physiological. It is hardly possible to condemn people who take such a step, since this is only their choice, and no one has the right to persistently influence it. But each of us will have our own opinion on this issue, and we also have the right to it.
Why did such famous royal dynasties as the Habsburgs or the Bourbons disappear? Anyone who has even the slightest interest in this topic will answer without hesitation: due to intermarriage by blood for centuries, which led to the degeneration of the family, many descendants of famous royal families were born oligophrenics. So, the son of Philip II (Habsburg) and Mary of Portugal, who was his cousin, was born with physical and mental disabilities. Nevertheless, blood marriages between royal families were common, as they were concluded in the vast majority based on political considerations. For example, Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna were cousins through their great-grandmother.
Through such marriages, bloody wars were stopped (and sometimes, on the contrary, started), territories were redrawn, long-term peace treaties were signed, and mutually beneficial trade, military, and economic cooperation was established. In a word, it was unrealistic to get into the royal family "for a person with a different blood." Over the centuries, all the royal families of Europe became close to each other, so that it became impossible to marry a non-relative. In the royal chambers, children with various kinds of pathologies began to appear more and more often.
Observation of the family life of monarchs prompted many countries to legally prohibit consanguineous marriages. And if, for example, in Russia today marriages are prohibited only between direct relatives: sisters and brothers, parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, then cousins and second cousins are acceptable. Although scientists are still arguing about how safe they are for future generations. Especially when it comes to cousins of the young. All the same Habsburgs and Bourbons are cited as an argument "against".
Meanwhile, in the light of recent research by scientists, this argument is becoming less and less convincing. Thus, the Americans (by the way, in the United States in some states marriages are prohibited even between cousins) found that the percentage of genetic pathology in children born from a cousin and a cousin is 1.7%. But this is not much higher than the rate of possible pathology in children born in unrelated marriages. And the same figure increases many times when it comes to children born in families of alcoholics or from parents whose age has exceeded the 40-year mark.
If you take a closer look at the marriages of famous people in history, then these figures are quite justified. So, natural scientist Charles Darwin, who married his cousin, had 10 children. Three of them died because they were extremely weak. The rest of the children of the founder of the theory of evolution were quite successful in life.
Six children were born to US President Franklin Roosevelt by his wife, a relative, Eleanor Roosevelt. There was no mention of any pathologies in children.
In Japan today marriages between cousins are officially allowed. In some prefectures, the percentage of such marriages reaches 10. Marriages are allowed, for example, between an uncle and a niece in some castes of India, in many Asian countries. According to the latest data, the percentage of marriages between second cousins and first cousins is growing in Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. In these countries, family marriages are often preferred in order to avoid abuse of the woman. Geneticists note an increase in hemophilia patients in Azerbaijan and attribute this to an increase in the number of such marriages.
However, scientists warn against such hasty conclusions. According to Hamish Spencer, a professor at the University of Massachusetts, there are currently no studies that absolutely prove that it is related marriages that lead to pathologies in children. Yes, in third world countries, where the largest number of mixed marriages, in some cases, up to 80 percent of children are born with one or another deviation. But these countries have poor ecology, a low standard of living, sometimes reaching extreme impoverishment, a very low level of medical care (it happens that it is completely absent) - and which of these factors (it is possible that all together) affects the health of infants, it is difficult to say. .
But what about the Habsburgs and the Bourbons? It is unlikely that the royal families suffered from poverty and lack of medical care. Geneticists from several countries at once came to the conclusion that the matter here is in the genes of one or another hereditary disease - Down, hemophilia, dementia, which within the same family wander from father to son, from mother to daughter. In related marriages, the probability of "meeting" pathological genes increases. For example, the possibility of having a child with deviations in ordinary marriages does not exceed four percent, and in related marriages it increases five times. But this mainly applies to permanent marriages within the same family. And now this almost never happens. As for one-time marriages between cousins, modern geneticists do not see any problem here. Scientists even have the concept of "inbreeding coefficient", which determines the degree of relationship. So, in the case of a native uncle and niece, it is 1/8, for cousins it will be 1/16, second cousins -1/32, for fourth-generation relatives - 1/64, and so on. The higher the number, the further the relationship.
In the United States, even a whole movement has arisen that protects the rights of non-blood relatives (and cousins \u200b\u200bare included) to marry. The Catholic and Protestant churches do not prevent the registration of cousins. In the Orthodox Church, only second cousins are officially allowed to marry. And cousins, as they say, depending on the tractability of the priest of a particular temple. Islam and Judaism allow such marriages. By the way, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, answering the questions of a parishioner of the synagogue regarding marriages with cousins, explains that if there was one hundred percent certainty in the absence of mutated defective genes, permission to marry would be given easily.
Speaking of family genes, for some reason they always mean "bad" genes. Meanwhile, not only diseases, but talents are inherited. So, almost fifty relatives of Johann Sebastian Bach were professionally engaged in music. And Leo Tolstoy and Alexander Pushkin had great-grandmothers who were sisters.
