Delaware Public Media has an article about cousin marriage:
Delaware is presently among 25 states that ban first cousin marriages, but a new bill could alter that law to some extent.
State Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton’s (D-Newark) legislation would only recognize legal first cousin marriages made outside the First State — it would not legalize such marriages to occur within Delaware.
"If you have a cousin that lives in Delaware that you were looking to marry, you can't do that if this bill passes. But, if you got married in France or you got married in New York to your first cousin ,and then you live here and you're trying to bring them here, your marriage would be recognized just like any other marriage is recognized," she explained.
The inspiration for the bill came from a constituent who approached her with a challenging circumstance.
In an attempt to reunite his family, her constituent — who is a U.S. citizen — applied to bring his wife into Delaware from out of the country, but the federal government rejected the proposal, noting Delaware does not recognize marriages between first cousins and recommended he move to a different state and reapply.
It is unfortunate that Delaware still bans cousin marriages, but it is a step in the right direction to recognize marriages performed in other states or countries. I wish Utah would take this first step as well. The states are required to accept gay marriage and cannot punish anyone for it, but they are still allowed to punish lawfully married cousins. What is the rationale for this two-tiered system? I believe that the legal, historical, religious, and scientific basis for cousin marriage is much stronger than for gay marriage. Cousin marriage does not require a separate category of marriage that is falsely labeled as equality.
No comments:
Post a Comment