My child's father is my cousin

The Jamaica Star has an advice column called "Tell Me Pastor" and a 27-year-old woman wrote in asking how to explain to her current boyfriend that she had a child with her cousin 10 years ago:

I don't know if he would believe anything I would say. I spent a whole week with him when he was on holidays. He took me to his parents' house and introduced me as his girlfriend and his mother likes me.

Pastor, I am so confused. I had my first child when I was 17 years old and her father is my cousin. So you see I am afraid to tell this man the truth. My second child's father supports him, but he lives with his grandmother.

I know when he hears the truth that that would be the last of our friendship. Should I leave this guy, or should I tell him and ask him to forgive me for not telling the truth earlier?

TV Casting: Cousin Couples

Atlanta CraigsList has a post under talent gigs about cousins.  It seems that links to CraigsList postings disappear quickly, but the post id is 5895988033 and the e-mail address is fgjfx-5895988033@gigs.craigslist.org.  Here is the message:

Docu-series seeks cousins who are more than friends. Whether you're dating, married or just have crushes on each other, we want to hear from you!

This is not a project to shame anyone or put people in a disparaging light. Cousins who love each other is not taboo, and we're looking to de-mystify and normalize what is a reality for many people. Everyone has a story to tell, and none of us can predict or control who we fall in love with.

Please email with your name and contact info. and we'll get in touch ASAP.

Marrying your cousin is no longer a social norm

The Arab American News has an article contrasting views on cousin marriage between the United States and the Middle East:

Cousin-marriage is a social norm pretty much acceptable — culturally and religiously— in the Middle East, but not for today's generation of Arab Americans trying to bridge the Arab and American ways of life.

Their life among two cultures allows them to see both sides of the picture and adapt to a middle ground. Therefore, the fact that cousin-marriage is not a social norm in the U.S. plays a role in the decisions of many young Arab Americans.

According to the scholarly article "'It's Ok, We're Not Cousins by Blood': The Cousin Marriage Controversy in Historical Perspective" by Diane Paul and Hamish Spencer, first cousins married until the second half of the nineteenth century in Europe and America, as it was a practice highly preferred by "elites." However, after the Civil War, it was no longer customary in the U.S..

The researchers wrote, "unlike the situation in Britain and much of Europe, cousin marriage in the U.S. was associated not with the aristocracy and upper middle class but with much easier targets: immigrants and the rural poor."

Sexual attraction to cousin embarrassing and strange

The Winnipeg Free Press has a Miss Lonelyhearts advice column about a woman attracted to her cousin and feeling embarrassed:

I'm in love with my first cousin and it's embarrassing to me. He loves me, too. He got over feeling creepy about it long ago, but I still feel like I shouldn't be marrying and having babies with my cousin. He doesn't worry, though. "Get over it, I'm not your brother," he says and laughs at me and then I kind of get over it. But the weird feeling creeps back.

Marrying your cousin? Are there evolutionary benefits from inbreeding?

The Genetic Literacy Project has a long article from October 12, 2016 about cousin marriage and inbreeding:

Might inbreeding also confer some evolutionary benefit in humans? Some scientists think that exposure of detrimental traits to selection via inbreeding could have benefited humans in the past similar to the way that it benefits wasps. But there could also be advantages of amplifying positive family traits.

Having children with your eighth, sixth, or even a fifth cousin, is not inbreeding, whereas first-cousin parenting is inbreeding to such a degree that there are laws dealing with it. But fascinating research shows that the highest human fertility rates exist among couples who are 3rd cousins. Fertility is a good way to assess evolutionary fitness, because lethal traits due to recessive genes frequently manifest as spontaneous abortions, typically occurring so early in gestation that they’re rarely even noticed as a pregnancy.

And so, it’s been suggested that the 3rd cousin level of inbreeding might represent a kind of genetic sweet spot, where the advantages of amplifying positive family traits and the disadvantages of amplifying negative family traits are optimally balanced.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

Queen Victoria (1819-1901) married her first cousin, Prince Albert (1819-1861) of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, on February 10, 1840 at St James's Palace.  Their nine children married into royal and noble families across the continent, tying them together and earning her the sobriquet "the grandmother of Europe". After Albert's death in 1861, Victoria plunged into deep mourning and avoided public appearances.  Her reign of 63 years and seven months is known as the Victorian era and is the second longest of any British monarch.  She was surpassed by her great-great-granddaughter Elizabeth II. 

Victoria is an eight part British drama television series that premiered on August 28, 2016 on ITV.  RadioTimes has an article comparing the TV series to the real life couple:

"These days, marrying cousins is sometimes frowned upon but in the UK it is perfectly legal and the British royal family have been doing it for hundreds of years in order to ensure strong alliances and allegiances.

In this week's episode of the ITV drama the relationship between the cousins is strained at first, with neither overly keen to get married in accordance with their parents' wishes and Victoria expressing distaste at Albert's personality.

However, in real life it doesn't seem like this was the case. Certainly, Victoria appeared to think Albert was made for her from the beginning, having met him in 1836 a year before she ascended to the throne (unlike in the TV series where it's implied the pair haven't seen each other since they were much younger).

Writing in her diary after their first meeting, she noted some of their physical similarities and was clear about her attraction to him."

Update (December 4, 2022): On September 24th, History of Yesterday had an article about this royal couple: Why Did Queen Victoria Marry Her Cousin?

Mind-blowing sex with my cousin

A 28-year-old British man wrote to an advice columnist to ask about his sexual relationship with his 24-year-old cousin.

"We lost touch when my mum and dad divorced. Our dads are brothers and I moved to the other end of the country with my mum.

I remember my cousin back then as a quiet, funny little thing — very different from the stunning brunette she is today.

We met at her brother’s wedding a few months ago and I can honestly say I fell in love with her there and then.

Turns out she felt exactly the same way."

I wish the happy couple the best of luck in telling their other relatives, because I'm sure it will be difficult.

Sex between cousins is not incest

A high court judge in Kenya has ruled that sex with a cousin is not prohibited by the law.

"Should first cousins be allowed to have sex? The courts think so.

High Court Judge J A Makau says the law does not list first cousins among the relatives between whom sex is classified as incest under the law.

In his judgment, Makau said it is permissible to have sex with a cousin because in some cultures in Kenya, such as some Hindus and Muslims and some African communities, sexual acts with cousins are not criminalised."

I agree with this ruling.  Incest should only include first and second degree relatives like parents, siblings, children, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, grandparents, grandchildren, and half-siblings.  Third-degree relatives constitute a category of the extended family that includes first cousins.

Superman and Supergirl are cousins

A Facebook group called "Ultra Cool Super Rad Memes" created a parody ad about the CW Network TV series Supergirl, implying a sexual relationship between Superman and Supergirl.

While it seems like two people from the same planet would be the perfect couple, apparently planet Krypton prohibits cousins from marrying.

Freedom in the 50 States

The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, has a website called Freedom in the 50 States.  They list three main categories with personal freedom being the smallest.  One of the sections under that category is marriage freedom and they list cousin marriage as one of the criteria, but it only accounts for 10% of that section and less than 2% of the personal freedom category.  New Hampshire, which bans cousin marriage, came in first place and New York, which permits cousin marriage, came in last.  Hopefully the Cato Institute will take a more active role in promoting cousin marriage so that all Americans will have access to marriage freedom.

Think your cousin's cute? Relax

John Stossel is a television personality, author, and libertarian pundit.  He wrote an article about cousin marriage:

"Half the states in America have banned cousin marriage, but there's no good reason for it. You can marry your cousin and have perfectly intelligent kids.

It would be ridiculous, however, to prohibit middle-aged women from having children. It's equally wrong to prohibit cousins from marrying. There are risks and challenges in any marriage, but it should not be for politicians to decide such intimate matters as whether you get to marry the person you love. Love, marriage and procreation are personal choices better not left to "experts" who are often repeating myths."

How Many Americans Are Married To Their Cousins?

FiveThirtyEight is a website that analyzes opinion polls.  They have an interesting article on cousin marriage.

"An estimated 0.2 percent of marriages in the United States are between individuals who are second cousins or closer — that means there are about 250,000 people in America in those relationships. I know you asked about first cousins, but all the research I’ve found uses second cousins as the benchmark of consanguinity (more commonly known as intermarriage).

You’ll notice that if you take a global perspective, consanguinity is not rare at all. Of the 70 countries studied, only 18 have consanguineous relationships as less than 1 percent of all marriages. In five countries, more than 50 percent of all marriages are between people who are second cousins or closer, and in Burkina Faso, it’s estimated that two of every three marriages are consanguineous.  High global prevalence is in itself a reason to study consanguinity — about 10.4 percent of the world’s population is married to a second cousin or closer, or is the product of such a union: That’s about 750 million people.

Marriage between cousins wasn’t always prohibited in America. From the 1860s, states began legislating on various aspects of marriage, including mental-capacity restrictions, statutory ages and anti-miscegenation laws. Bans on cousin marriage were introduced at the same time as part of a post-Civil War acceptance of the need for oversight, even in personal matters. Today, the practice is highly stigmatized, partly because of health concerns about children born to first cousins."

According to Wikipedia:

"Data on cousin marriage in the United States is sparse. 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.  It is unknown what proportion of that number were first cousins, which is the group facing marriage bans. To contextualize the group's size, the total proportion of interracial marriages in 1960, the last census year before the end of anti-miscegenation statutes, was 0.4%, and the proportion of black-white marriages was 0.13%.  While recent studies have cast serious doubt on whether cousin marriage is as dangerous 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."

As far as I can tell it is legal to marry your second cousin (same great-grandparents) in every state.

Relationship chart

Here is an archive of an interesting cousin chart showing how much DNA you share with various relatives.  On average, first cousins share 12.5% of their genes.  This is similar to a great-aunt, great-uncle, half-aunt, half-uncle, half-niece, half-nephew and great-grandparent.

Genetics

"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 1.1–2.0 percentage points over an average base risk for non-cousin couples of 3%, or about the same as that of any woman over age 40.  In terms of mortality, a 1994 study found a mean excess pre-reproductive mortality rate of 4.4%, while another study published in 2009 suggests the rate may be closer to 3.5%.  Put differently, 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.  Critics argue that banning first-cousin marriages would make as much sense as trying to ban childbearing by older women.

Higher total fertility rates are reported for cousin marriages than average, a phenomenon noted as far back as George Darwin during the late 19th century. There is no significant difference in the number of surviving children in cousin marriages because this compensates for the observed increase in child mortality.  The total fertility increase may be partly explained by the lower average parental age at marriage, and age at first birth, observed in consanguineous marriages. Other factors include shorter birth intervals and possibly a lower likelihood of using reliable contraception.  There is also the possibility of more births as a compensation for increased child mortality, either via a conscious decision by parents to achieve a set family size or the cessation of lactational amenorrhea following the death of an infant.  According to a recent paper the fertility difference is probably not due to any underlying biological effect.  Studies consistently show a lower rate of primary infertility in cousin marriages, usually interpreted as being due to greater immunological compatibility between spouses."

If cousin marriages were legal and accepted by the medical community, doctors could help to reduce the chances of birth defects.

Case law

Here are 7 cases that dealt with cousin marriage in the United States:

1) Ex parte BOWEN on March 21, 1952 in the Court of Appeals of Kentucky: Held that due to the new Kentucky statute, the marriage was void and the veterans benefits should be denied to the spouse.

2) Matter of the ESTATE of Martin Emil MORTENSON, deceased on October 29, 1957 in the Supreme Court of Arizona: Cousin marriage not recognized because Arizona statutes declare the marriage "void" unless it was recognized in the place where solemnized, with the parties having resided in that place. In this case, the parties resided in Arizona and left to have the marriage solemnized in New Mexico. Wife received no share of the estate.

3) MAZZOLINI, APPELLANT, v. MAZZOLINI, APPELLEE on December 24, 1958 in the Supreme Court of Ohio: Held that because it was not declared void in statute, a cousin marriage solemnized elsewhere was valid in Ohio. Annulment not granted.

4) In re the Marriage of Earl E. ADAMS on December 31, 1979 in Supreme Court of Montana: Held that a first cousin marriage in Montana, where it was prohibited and where the courts were bound to declare it as void, was indeed void. The wife received no portion of the estate.

5) In the Matter of the Estate of Owen C. Loughmiller, Deceased on June 10, 1981 in Supreme Court of Kansas: Found that a marriage entered into outside the state of Kansas was valid because there is no statute in Kansas specifically voiding the marriage. The marriage was found valid and the separation agreement between the two parties was upheld.

6) ETHERIDGE v. SHADDOCK on April 7, 1986 in Supreme Court of Arkansas: Found that a cousin marriage performed elsewhere was legal in Arkansas. A disputed change in child custody rights was therefore denied. Incidentally, it noted that a marriage between other closer relatives would not be recognized in this situation.

7) COOK v. COOK on January 13, 2005 in Court of Appeals of Arizona, Division 1, Department A: Found that a cousin marriage performed elsewhere should be recognized because Arizona law at the time expressly directed such recognition, and although it was amended after the marriage, retroactive application of the law was not called for. Consequently, dissolution of the marriage was not granted.

Ancestors

The United States has the only bans on cousin marriage in the Western world.  It used to be common and normal, but during the second half of the 19th century, many states began to ban marriages between first cousins.

I have found 5 cousin couples among my ancestors:

Eli Merrell (1787-1849) and Nancy McCrary (1789-1837)

Benjamin Merrell (1752-1836) and Penelope Merrell (1759-1830)

Zachariah Garton (1724-1787) and Elizabeth Morris (1720-1757)

William Savage (1699-1774) and Sarah Savage (1700-1782)

George Ward (1800-1847) and Isabella Ward (1798-1860)

Famous cousins

Braulio Álvarez Castillo, Dominican Republic military man, and his double cousin, María Álvarez Guerra

Josiah Bartlett, second signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, and his first cousin, Mary Bartlett

Christine Boutin, French politician, and her first cousin, Louis Boutin

Wernher von Braun, German-American aerospace engineer, and his first cousin, Maria Luise von Quistorp

Charles Bulfinch, American architect, and his first cousin, Hannah Apthorp

Charles Darwin and his first cousin, Emma Wedgwood.  In addition, their grandparents, Sarah Wedgwood and Josiah Wedgwood, were third cousins.

Andrew Jackson Donelson, American diplomat, and his cousins Emily Donelson and Elizabeth Martin Randolph

Albert Einstein and his first cousin (through his mother) and second cousin (through his father), Elsa Löwenthal née Einstein

William Greenleaf Eliot, founder of Washington University in St. Louis (and grandfather of poet T. S. Eliot), married his first cousin once removed but more notable is that his father, mother, and wife were first cousins of each other.

William Crowninshield Endicott, former US Secretary of War, and his first cousin, Ellen Peabody

Ulises Espaillat, Dominican Republic president, and his first cousin, Eloísa Espaillat

Vivian Fuchs, British explorer, and his cousin Joyce Connell

Viriato Fiallo, Dominican Republic politician, and his first cousin, Prudencia Fiallo

Carlo Gambino, a mob boss, and his first cousin, Catherine Castellano

André Gide, Nobel Prize-winning French author, and his cousin, Madeleine Rondeaux

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, American author, and her first cousin, George Houghton Gilman

Carl Giles, cartoonist, and his cousin Joan Giles

Laurent Gouvion, French general and later Marshal of the Empire, and his first cousin, Anne Gouvion

Edvard Grieg, Norwegian composer, and his first cousin, Nina Hagerup

Alexander Herzen, Russian writer and political activist, and his cousin, Natalya Zakharina

Saddam Hussein and his first cousin Sajida Talfah

Jesse James and his first cousin, Zerelda "Zee" Mimms

Jón Sigurðsson, leader of the 19th-century Icelandic independence movement, and his first cousin, Ingibjörg Einarsdóttir

Naoto Kan, former Prime Minister of Japan, and his first cousin, Nobuko

Nobusuke Kishi, former Japanese statesman, and his first cousin, Yoshiko Kishi

David Lean, British film director, and his first cousin, Isabel Lean

John A. Macdonald, first prime minister of Canada, and his first cousin, Isabella Clark

Rob Roy MacGregor, Scottish outlaw and folk hero, and his cousin Mary Helen MacGregor of Comar

Gerardo Machado y Morales, fifth president of Cuba, and his first cousin, Elvira Machado Nodal

Maeda Toshiie, Japanese Daimyō in the 15th century, and his cousin, Matsu

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, and his first cousin, Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum

Delarivier Manley, British playwright and political satirist, and her first cousin John Manley

Francis Marion, American revolutionary leader also called the "Swamp Fox," and his first cousin, Mary Esther Videau

Abraham Maslow, father of humanistic psychology, and his first cousin, Bertha Goodman

Matthew Fontaine Maury and his first cousin, Ann Hull Herndon

Darius Milhaud, French composer, and his first cousin, Madeleine Milhaud

Christopher Robin Milne, son of author A. A. Milne and the Christopher Robin of the Winnie-the-Pooh books, and his first cousin Lesley Sélincourt

Marina Mora, Peruvian beauty queen and former Miss Peru, and her first cousin Gustavo Mora

Mōri Terumoto, Japanese Daimyo in late 15th and early 16th century, and his cousin and first wife, Minami no Kata

Ignacy Mościcki, Polish chemist and president and his first cousin, Michalina Czyżewska

Muhammad and his first cousin, Zaynab bint Jahsh

Naoe Kanetsugu, Japanese samurai and Karō of the Uesugi clan in 15th and 16th century, and his cousin, Osen

Ōtomo no Yakamochi, Japanese statesman and waka poet in the Nara period, and his cousin, Sakanoue no Ōiratsume

Edgar Allan Poe, 27, and his first cousin, Virginia Clemm, 13

Bolesław Prus, Polish novelist, and his cousin, Oktawia Trembińska

Sergei Rachmaninoff, composer, and his cousin, Natalia Satina

Satyajit Ray, Indian film-maker, and his first cousin, Bijoya Ray

Eisaku Sato, prime minister of Japan, and his cousin, Hiroko Sato

Greta Scacchi, actress of Presumed Innocent, and her first cousin, Carlo Mantegazza

Igor Stravinsky, composer, and his first cousin, Katerina Nossenko

Toyotomi Hideyori, Japanese Daimyō, and his cousin, Senhime

Mario Vargas Llosa, Peruvian writer and 2010 Nobel Prize laureate, and his first cousin Patricia Llosa

H. G. Wells, author, and his first cousin and first wife Isabel Mary Wells

William Whipple, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and his first cousin, Catherine Moffatt

Afonso V of Portugal and his first cousin Isabel of Coimbra

Alfonso XI of Castile and his double first cousin and second wife Maria of Portugal

Alfonso XII of Spain and his first cousin and first wife Mercedes of Orleans

Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna of Russia and her first cousin and first husband Duke George of Oldenburg and her first cousin and second husband William I of Wurttemberg

Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy and his first cousin and second wife Isabella of Bourbon

Charles IV of Spain and his first cousin Maria Luisa of Parma

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and his first cousin Isabella of Portugal

Christian VII of Denmark and his first cousin Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales

Christian VIII of Denmark and his first cousin Duchess Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Drusus Julius Caesar and his first cousin Livilla

Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria and her first cousin and second husband Archduke Karl Ferdinand of Austria

Ernest Augustus I of Hanover and his first cousin Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany and his double first cousin Princess Luisa of Naples and Sicily

Francis I of the Two Sicilies and his double first cousin and first wife Archduchess Maria Clementina of Austria and first cousin and second wife Maria Isabella of Spain

Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor and his double first cousin and second wife Princess Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily and his first cousin Archduchess Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este

Franz Joseph I of Austria and his first cousin Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria

Frederick VI of Denmark and his first cousin Princess Marie Sophie of Hesse-Kassel

Frederick William I of Prussia and his first cousin Princess Sophia Dorothea of Hanover

Frederick William II of Prussia and his double first cousin Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel

George I of Great Britain and his first cousin Duchess Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Celle

George IV of the United Kingdom and his first cousin Princess Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel

Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan and his first cousin Caterina Visconti

Haakon VII of Norway and his first cousin Princess Maud of Wales

Princess Henrietta Anne of England and her first cousin Philippe I, Duke of Orleans

Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine and her first cousin Prince Henry of Prussia

Isabella II of Spain and her double first cousin Francis, Duke of Cadiz

John Manuel, Prince of Portugal and his double first cousin Archduchess Joan of Austria

John II of Portugal and his first cousin Eleanor of Viseu

John III of Portugal and his first cousin Catherine of Austria

John V of Portugal and his first cousin Maria Anna of Austria

Julia and her first cousin and first husband Nero Caesar

Julia the Elder and her first cousin Marcus Claudius Marcellus

Karl Anton August, Prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck and his first cousin Countess Charlotte of Dohna-Schlodien

Khalil of Bithynia and his first cousin Irene Palaiologina

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor and his first cousin and first wife Margarita Teresa of Spain

Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany and his first cousin and second wife Princess Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies

Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse and his first cousin Princess Wilhelmine of Baden

Louis XIV of France and his double first cousin Maria Theresa of Spain

Princess Marie Therese of France and her first cousin Louis Antoine, Duke of Angouleme

Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and his first cousin Maria of Spain

Miguel, Duke of Braganza and his first cousin Princess Maria Theresa of Lowenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg

Napoleon Louis Bonaparte and his first cousin Charlotte Napolene Bonaparte

Olav V of Norway and his first cousin Princess Martha of Sweden

Philip II of Spain and his double first cousin Maria Manuela, Princess of Portugal

Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg and her first cousin Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma

Prince Philippe, Count of Paris and his first cousin Princess Marie Isabelle of Orleans

Umberto I of Italy and his first cousin Princess Margherita of Savoy

Victor Emmanuel II of Italy and his first cousin Archduchess Adelaide of Austria

Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and her first cousin and first husband Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and her first cousin and second husband Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia

Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her first cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh and his first cousin Princess Mary of Great Britain

William I of the Netherlands and his first cousin Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia

William III of the Netherlands and his first cousin and first wife Princess Sophie of Wurttemberg

William III of England and his first cousin Mary II of England

Wladyslaw IV, king of Poland and his first cousin and first wife Cecilia Renata of Austria

Airlangga, regional king of Bali, Indonesia and his first cousin

Emperor Ichijō of Japan and his wife Fujiwara no Akiko

Emperor Kōbun of Japan and Empress Tōchi

Prince Nagaya of Japan and his wife Princess Kibi

Prince Shōtoku of Japan and his wife Princess Uji no Kaitako

Zaitian, the Guangxu Emperor and his first cousin, Yehenara Jingfen

Vajiralongkorn, Crown Prince of Thailand and his first cousin Mom Luang Soamsavali Kitiyakara

Emperor Zhongzong of Tang and his first cousin Lady Zhao

Emperor Wen of Western Wei and his first cousin Lady Yifu

Emperor Wu of Han and his first cousin Chen Jiao

Princess Baling of Tang (daughter of Emperor Taizong of Tang) and her first cousin Chai Lingwu, Duke of Xiangyang

Princess Taiping of Tang and her first husband and first cousin Xue Shao

Li Xianhui, Lady Yongtai and her first cousin Wu Yanji, Prince of Wei

Li Guo'er, Princess Anle and her second husband and first cousin Wu Yanxiu, Prince of Huaiyang

King Xerxes I of Persia and his first cousin Amestris

King Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid Empire and his first cousin Princess Laodice of Pontus

King Mithridates III of Commagene and his first cousin Princess Isias Philostorgos of Cappadocia

Antiochus VIII Grypus of the Seleucid Empire and his first cousin Princess Tryphaena of Egypt

Pedro Sánchez de Tagle, 2nd Marquis of Altamira and his first cousin Luisa Sánchez de Tagle

María de la Paz Rodríguez Albuerne y Girón and her first cousin José María Trespalacios Rodríguez de Albuerne

Lord Edward Cavendish and his first cousin Emma Lascelles

Henry Sturt, 1st Baron Alington and his first cousin and first wife Lady Augusta Bingham

George Spencer-Churchill, 6th Duke of Marlborough and his first cousin and first wife Lady Jane Stewart

Double first cousins share both sets of grandparents and have twice the degree of consanguinity of ordinary first cousins; genetically they are as related as half-siblings.  If a pair of identical twins married another pair of identical twins, their children would be considered double cousins but genetically they would be the equivalent to full siblings.

State laws

Cousin marriage is the only issue I can think of where the states are allowed to have their own policies and laws and the federal government remains neutral.  I believe that the Constitution guarantees a right to cousin marriage and most or possibly all of the founding founders would probably agree with me.  However, the second best outcome is to leave it as a state's rights issue.  Article Four, section 4, clause 1 of the Constitution says: "The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government".  The Ninth Amendment says: "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."  The Tenth Amendment says: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."  Here are the laws for each state:

Alabama: Yes
Alaska: Yes
Arizona: Only if at least one is unable to reproduce
Arkansas: No, but sexual relations and cohabitation are allowed.
California: Yes
Colorado: Yes
Connecticut: Yes
Delaware: No, but sexual relations and cohabitation are allowed
District of Columbia: Yes
Florida: Yes
Georgia: Yes
Hawaii: Yes
Idaho: No, but sexual relations and cohabitation are allowed
Illinois: Only if both are over 50 or one is infertile
Iowa: No and it is unknown whether they permit sexual relations or cohabitation
Indiana: No, but sexual relations and cohabitation are allowed
Kansas: No, but sexual relations and cohabitation are allowed
Kentucky: No to marriage and no to sexual relations or cohabitation
Louisiana: No, but sexual relations and cohabitation are allowed
Maine: Proof of Genetic Counselling from a Genetic Counsellor
Maryland: Yes
Massachusetts: Yes
Michigan: No, but sexual relations and cohabitation are allowed
Minnesota: Only certain types
Mississippi: No to marriage and no to sexual relations or cohabitation
Missouri: No, but sexual relations and cohabitation are allowed
Montana: No, but sexual relations and cohabitation are allowed
Nebraska: No, but sexual relations and cohabitation are allowed
Nevada: No to marriage and no to sexual relations or cohabitation
New Hampshire: No, but sexual relations and cohabitation are allowed
New Jersey: Yes
New Mexico: Yes
New York: Yes
North Carolina: Yes
North Dakota: No to marriage and no to sexual relations or cohabitation
Ohio: No, but sexual relations and cohabitation are allowed
Pennsylvania: No, but sexual relations and cohabitation are allowed
Rhode Island: Yes
South Carolina: Yes
South Dakota: No to marriage and no to sexual relations or cohabitation
Tennessee: Yes
Texas: No to marriage and no to sexual relations or cohabitation
Utah: Only if both parties are 65 or older, or both are 55 or older with a district court finding of infertility of either party
Vermont: Yes
Virginia: Yes
Washington: No, but sexual relations and cohabitation are allowed
West Virginia: No, but sexual relations and cohabitation are allowed
Wisconsin: Only if the woman is at least 55, or either is permanently sterile
Wyoming: No, but sexual relations and cohabitation are allowed

Cousin marriage is banned in 25 states but allowed in 19 states and the District of Columbia.  4 states allow it if the cousins can't have any children, and two states allow it under special circumstances.

Cousin couples in the Bible

The Bible does not forbid cousins from marrying, but it does prohibit sexual relations with several other close relatives.  Therefore, religion is not a valid reason to ban cousin marriage.  Protestant churches generally allow cousin marriage, in keeping with criticism of the Catholic system of dispensations by Martin Luther and John Calvin during the Reformation.  This includes most of the major US denominations, such as Baptist, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Methodist. The Anglican Communion has also allowed cousin marriage since its inception during the rule of King Henry VIII. 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. Protestants during the Reformation struggled to interpret the Biblical proscriptions against incest in a sensible manner, a task frustrated by facts like their omission of the daughter (but inclusion of the granddaughter) as a directly prohibited relation.  But in contrast to both Protestantism and Catholicism, the Eastern Orthodox Church prohibits up to second cousins from marrying.  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.  Jack Goody describes this theory as a "legend."

Isaac and Rebekah's firstborn son Esau married his cousin Mahalah, daughter of his father's brother Ishmael.

Jacob married his cousins Leah and Rachel, daughters of his mother's brother Laban.

According to many English Bible translations, another example is the five daughters of Zelophehad, who married the "sons of their father's brothers" in the later period of Moses, although other translations merely say "relatives."

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 argues Othniel was simply Caleb's brother (Sotah 11b).

The daughters of Eleazer also married the sons of Eleazer's brother Kish in the still later time of David (1 Chronicles 23:22).

King Rehoboam, son of Solomon and grandson of David, had two wives Maacah and Mahalath who were also grandchildren of David (2 Chronicles 11:20).

Introduction

I had a kissing cousin when I was a teenager, but it never went any further.  I was going through puberty at the time and was confused about the changes to my body.  Our grandmother suspected that something was going on between us and she didn't approve.  Also, I felt really guilty as though I was sinning.  I didn't realize at the time that the Bible does not condemn relationships with a cousin.  Of course, sex outside of marriage is always a sin regardless of whether you are related to your lover.  I'm not sure why I was interested in my cousin, other than I was just naturally attracted to her.  We are both married to other people now so a romantic relationship is not possible and I'm not sure she would be interested anyway.