A US state is banning marriages between first cousins. The ban will be enforced from the beginning of October and, leaving 16 states where cousin marriage is currently legal.
Connecticut will prohibit marriages between first cousins from October 1 due to genetic and social concerns. The bill was passed by both the Democratic and Republican Parties, and those who were married before the law came into force will not face any punishment. Previous state law in Connecticut barred marriage between close relatives, such as siblings, children, and parents.
As reported by the New York Post, Devin Carney, Connecticut State Representative (Republican), proposed the bill and said: “Somebody actually sent me an article about it. Tennessee recently banned it. They passed a law to ban it.
“I was told it’s not banned in Connecticut, so I started looking into it and over 30 states do ban it, and Connecticut is not one of them.”
Democrat State Representative Steve Stafstrom added: “We looked at it and saw we were sort of an outlier state that didn’t ban it.
“Science shows that procreation between first cousins increases the chances of birth defects. We also didn’t want to penalise or jeopardise any marriages that occurred when it was legal.”
Connecticut will become the 26th US state to fully ban first-cousin marriages. It will join New Hampshire as the only states in New England that also prohibit them.
It’s loosely permitted between same-sex couples in Maine, while other states, including Arizona, Illinois and Indiana, permit first-cousin marriages if both parties are infertile.
Meanwhile, cousin marriages are permitted in Minnesota under “established customs of Aboriginal cultures”. In North Carolina, double first cousins can legally marry.
Research from the National Library of Medicine shows that procreation between family members can cause a number of birth defects. These include limb deformities, heart conditions, premature birth, and neonatal mortality.