Cousin marriages should not be banned

The Progress Educational Trust (PET) is an independent charity that focuses on reproductive and genomic science. On January 27th they published an article about cousin marriage:

The British Society for Genetic Medicine (BSGM) has several concerns about the proposed bill, including that Holden misunderstands the genetic risks associated with first-cousin marriage.

We are an independent body that supports the promotion, encouragement and advancement of genetic and genomic science in clinical and research practice for the public benefit. We have always taken an active role in considering social, ethical and legal issues. As such, we have written a Parliamentary Briefing in response to the proposed bill.

The response from the BSGM argues that:

The bill is based on misunderstandings about the genetic risks associated with first-cousin marriages.

The bill will have a negative impact, due to stigmatisation, on healthcare for women and children in communities where first-cousin marriage is common.

The bill will create further distrust within those communities, and build barriers to them accessing appropriate healthcare and other services.

The bill fails to recognise the benefits of first-cousin marriages, including the strengthening of family bonds and care arrangements within the extended family.

The bill seems to conflate first-cousin marriages with the issues of forced marriages and so-called honour killings.

The bill appears to be in contravention of Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life), Article 12 (right to marry) and Article 14 (protection from discrimination) of the Human Rights Act 1998.

Unrelated parents have a 2-3 percent chance of having a baby with a genetic condition or congenital anomaly, whereas parents who are first cousins have a 4-6 percent chance. Most of this increased risk is due to recessively inherited genetic conditions. This means that most babies (94-96 percent) born to parents who are first cousins do not have a genetic condition or congenital anomaly.