Can you marry a cousin?

Gettysburg has a PDF showing a map of the United States and a map of the world based on whether they allow cousins to marry:

Laws governing the marriage of first cousins vary widely. In 24 states (pink), such marriages are illegal. In 19 states (green), first cousins are permitted to wed. Seven states (peach) allow first-cousin marriage but with conditions. Maine, for instance, requires genetic counseling; some states say yes only if one partner is sterile. North Carolina prohibits marriage only for double first cousins. Got that?

Researchers who study inbreeding track consanguineous marriages—those between second cousins or closer. In green countries, at least 20 percent and, in some cases, more than 50 percent of marriages fall into this category. Pink countries report 1 to 10 percent consanguinity; peach-colored countries, less than 1 percent. Data is unavailable for white countries.

Repeal laws banning cousins from marrying: geneticists

In 2008 CBC had an article about cousin marriage bans:

Cousin marriage — and marriage between a niece or nephew and their uncle or aunt — is legal in Canada, according to the federal Marriage (Prohibited Degrees) Act of 1990.

On the other hand, in the United States, 31 state laws either bar the practice or allow it only when the couple has genetic counselling, is beyond reproductive age or if a partner is sterile. The authors of the paper ask whether the laws are grounded in scientific fact, such as the commonly cited three per cent additional risk of birth defects in those born to cousins.

"These laws reflect once-prevailing prejudices about immigrants and the rural poor and oversimplified views of heredity, and they are inconsistent with our acceptance of reproductive behaviors that are much riskier to offspring," the pair conclude in a journal forum where historians and philosophers reflect on topical issues in biology.

"They should be repealed, not because their intent was eugenic, but because neither the scientific nor social assumptions that informed them are any longer defensible."

The researchers give the example of a 2002 expert review on birth defects. The panel concluded the risk to those born to cousins is smaller than generally assumed at 1.7 to two per cent higher than the population-wide risk of birth defects, which is between two and three per cent. The review panel thought such a rate did not warrant any special testing before conception.

I got my cousin pregnant and we haven’t told our parents

5 years ago, Reddit had a post about cousin romance:

I’m 21 and she’s 22. Last year, I moved back to my home state after 14 years of being away. In those 14 years, I had seen my cousins 5-6 times when my family would vacation here. She has an older sister and us three cousins would cling together whenever we did have a family reunion since the rest of the kids were either older or significantly younger than us.

Last June was the first time I had seen her in nearly 5 years and it’s fair to say she had changed significantly. She was always ‘cute’ but puberty turned her into a drop dead gorgeous woman. I was instantly attracted to her, but I figured it was just my hormones getting the best of me.

Fast forward a few months later, I went to a party with her and my other cousin. As you would expect from a party full of young twenties and alcohol, things got out of hand quickly. I won’t go into all the super long details, but I had sex with my cousin that night. Honest to God, it was the most amazing experience of my life, even she was completely wasted and I was slightly under the influence.

He says they are from California which does allow cousin marriage. I would recommend getting married to your cousin first before getting her pregnant.