I had a child with my first cousin

On January 19th, The Sun had an article about a cousin couple that was based on a call into the talk radio station LBC. The episode was posted to YouTube on December 11th.

One caller rang into LBC to "tell her tale" of falling in love with her first cousin - who she later had a child with.

In a clip shared to LBC's TikTok account, a caller named Shirley told host Ben Kentish how she had a daughter with her first cousin.

Shirley claimed people "can't help who they fall in love with."

"I, um, have a child with my first cousin. We were together for 6 years. And the one thing that's not been mentioned is you just fall in love," she told host Ben.

Shirley went on to say she is "from a Jewish background" and that she and her cousin took medical tests to rule out the possibility of passing down any genetic diseases.

She said: "Before even contemplating it, we went to see a professor at the university of Sydney about the possibilities of what could happen. We had our test and we're both negative.

"So we went ahead and we've got a 35 year old daughter together."

I don't know if they had the child out of wedlock or got divorced, which I believe are wrong, but she said they are still friends and talk to each other.

I married my first cousin – So did Darwin, Einstein and Queen Victoria

On January 11th Al Hakam had an opinion piece about cousin marriage by a final-year PhD researcher in the field of Oncology (the diagnosis and treatment of cancer).

Yes, I married my first cousin. Shocking? Improper? Perhaps to those who thrive on misplaced moral outrage. 

Cousin marriage is a topic that makes some people clutch their pearls while conveniently ignoring the fact that some of the greatest minds in history married their cousins. 

So, let’s look at the facts. 

Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, married his first cousin. Albert Einstein, the genius who redefined physics, also married his first cousin. What about Queen Victoria and Prince Albert? You guessed it: First cousins.

Before the anti-cousin-marriage bandwagon hyperventilates, let’s step back and examine the history, statistics and science behind cousin marriage.

Cousin Marriages: Risks or Rhetoric

On January 6th The Review of Religions had an article comparing the risks of cousin marriage to other pregnancy risks showing that a ban is not justified.

Cousin marriages have existed throughout history in the UK (the Royal Family no less) and throughout the world. Across many different religions, including Islam, marriages between cousins are permitted and occur, provided there is interest and consent among the couple. In a free society, particularly one that is referred to as ‘modern British society’, is it really the role of the state to be involved in who people should marry and beyond that, who should be allowed to have children? Are cousin marriages a threat to ‘women’s freedom’, as MP Holden remarked, or the proposed policing by the state? 

The evidence shows that the potential risks of birth defects from cousin parents can be less than other risk factors (such as age of parents). Even so, such correlated risk factors are magnitudes less in comparison to the causative and extremely damaging effects of alcohol to children in-utero – the leading cause of birth defects. In short, the proposed marriage ban has little justification based on science and it raises ethical and moral dilemmas about the role of the government on private matters of families and couples.

Should I Marry My Cousin?

In 2019 the BBC had a documentary about cousin marriage:

In this provocative and personal documentary, 18-year-old Bradford-born Hiba explores the controversial but legal custom of first-cousin marriage. It's a practice which has gone on within her own family for generations, and as she reaches adulthood, she faces a massive dilemma - deciding whether to follow her culture and marry a cousin or go her own independent way.

Exploring the health impacts that first-cousin marriage can have and the arguments for and against, Hiba finds out if it is possible to fancy and desire such a close relative before testing if this something she could do herself.

In Britain, where cousin marriage has been legal for over 400 years, first-cousin marriage is often considered taboo. However, in one community - the British Pakistanis - 55 per cent of young people marry their first cousin. And in Bradford, where Hiba comes from, that figure is 70 per cent.

Although she's only 18, Hiba is already talking to her family about marriage. For them, first-cousin marriage is the norm, and some members of the family are especially keen for her to continue the tradition. Her uncle Younis is in favour - four out of five of his own children are in cousin marriages. Her dad Maroof is on the fence and her mum Nuzhat is very much against it, but both have said they will support Hiba in whatever decision she makes.

At the moment Hiba is single, and because all her first cousins have married each other, her only hope of a family match would be with a second or third cousin from Pakistan. So, should Hiba marry a cousin? In this informative, authentic and life-changing film, Hiba is about to find out.

People should know the risks of marrying their cousin

In 2017 the BBC had an article about cousin marriage:

With my dad’s generation, and the generation before that, there were quite a few cousin marriages in the family.

Now, times have changed, and I don’t think as many people are leaning towards it.

I’m 18 years old and currently on a gap year, which I’ve spent making a documentary called Should I Marry My Cousin?

I wouldn’t say marriage is at the front of my brain, it’s just something that I’ve thought about since it’s quite important in Pakistani culture.

In Pakistan, it’s not weird to get married young. For British Pakistanis, though, it’s happening less. I think most people are focusing on their careers and degrees first.

If you’re not from this culture you might not understand why people marry their cousins.

Cousin marriage is definitely not a religious thing. It’s not required of you in Islam, it’s just left very open and very vague. Even for people in the Pakistani culture, it’s very dependent on your family and how you’re brought up.