First cousin marriage is a hot topic again. David Williamson, political editor, wrote an update about this issue in the Sunday Express.
This was ahead of the introduction of the Marriage (Prohibited Degrees of Relationship) Bill by Richard Holden MP on 10 December. The bill asked the Government to ban first cousins from marrying.
PET Director Sarah Norcross told the Sunday Express:
'Parliament should not be considering banning first cousin marriage. Some people argue that there should be a ban because they are worried about the health of the children born from such marriages.
'Children who are born to parents who are first cousins are at a higher risk of certain genetic conditions than people whose parents have no (known) genetic relationship. However, most children born to first cousins will be healthy.
'There are tried and tested ways to reduce the risks of genetic conditions to children of first cousins, the first step is to encourage couples who are first cousins to get medical advice. This might involve premarital carrier testing and genetic counselling. Therefore, there is no need to introduce such a ban health grounds.'
The brief debate on first cousin marriage can be read in Hansard.
Iqbal Mohamed MP for Dewsbury and Batley spoke in opposition to the bill.
You can read a news piece on these developments on BioNews.
The bill will be read for a second time on Friday 17 January 2025.
