Focus on the Family endorses cousin marriage

On March 23, 2009, Dr. Helen had a post on her blog about how teenage boys are punished much more harshly for consensual sex than are teenage girls.

Rob Fedders responded on the 25th and said:

Basically, they are saying they are “merged into one” and one cannot sue oneself. They are upholding the Biblical view of marriage, aren’t they? Again, marriage is intended to be a religious institution, not a government one. (You used to only, and in fact still can, get married on a family Bible, and it holds up without the State license, apparently – or so I’ve read.

While doing a Google search for - married on a family Bible - to see if his statement was true, I found an advice column from Focus on the Family.  I couldn't find the date of the article, but it points out that the Bible allows for cousin marriage.  That search brought up several other links about cousins and it makes me wonder if there are a lot of people wondering if the Bible permits cousin marriage.

Cousins in love petition to be able to marry in Utah

On March 6th, ABC4 had an article about cousin marriage:

They are crossing two big hurdles to get married; the most obvious is genetics. According to researchers at Columbia University, first cousins share 12.5 percent of their DNA. First cousins who have children face a 4-7 percent chance of their child having a genetic disorder as opposed to a 3-4 percent chance for an average couple.

The second major hurdle is the law. In Utah, it’s illegal for first cousins to get married unless they are 65 years old, 55 if they can prove they are infertile.

But there is no such law in Colorado, so the two went there Monday to tie the knot.

I recommend two DNA tests for cousin couples: one for genealogy to confirm that they are actually related, and the second is a test for recessive genes that could passed on to your children.  I have done both types.  I had 3 recessive genes, but none of them seemed too serious.  I really wish they had sued for the right to marry.  If I was involved with a cousin, I'd want to sue.  There is a lot of historical justification for cousin marriage and I would love for the Supreme Court to address another case about whether the States can define marriage.  I think they made a huge mistake in the 2015 ruling and it would be nice to get back to the text of the Constitution.

UPDATE: On January 8, 2020, the New York Post had an article about this couple:

Michael Lee and Angela Peang can hardly wait for the birth of their first child — even if it results in them spending time behind bars.

The husband and wife from Eagle Mountain, Utah, are first cousins: Peang’s father is the older brother of Lee’s mother.

Since the baby’s existence proves they had sex, they could face up to $10,000 in fines and five years in prison, because intercourse between cousins is illegal in their home state, due to the long-held fear of birth defects.

Their petition now has 1,719 signatures.