MD Delegate Seeks Ban on Marriages…Between First Cousins
‘glowing’
courtesy of ’staceyviera’
Maryland Delegate Henry Heller, D-Montgomery County, is putting his foot down and saying no more to marriages between first cousins, unless the parties involved are either over the age of 65 or one person is unable to reproduce (because then it’s ok, right? *insert side eye*).
Heller claims that when first cousins marry, they are “playing genetic roulette,” increasing the chance of birth defects in their children.
If Maryland bans first-cousin marriages, they will be the 25th state to do so. You just can’t make this stuff up. You can see the bill for yourself.
Like
Comments
3 Responses to “MD Delegate Seeks Ban on Marriages…Between First Cousins”
February 18th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by Cococlaud: RT @welovedc: Did you know you can still marry your first cousin in Maryland? It explains so much! Not for much longer, though: http://wldc.us/cMy89i...
February 19th, 2010 at 9:24 am
Boy that teaser headline really got my hopes up. When ARE we going to come to our senses and ban one of the true evils of our time – marriage. Think of all the misery this could avoid. And the lower taxes!! Get rid of all those pesky schools! That would solve the VA budget problem
February 19th, 2010 at 9:44 am
First cousins have been marrying throughout recorded history; the prohibition is the exception rather than the rule.
There is an increase in the risk of birth defects, but it’s small. Here’s a link to a 2004 article on the subject in USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/science/2002-04-04-cousins.htm