About 10% of all humans practice cousin marriage and about 20% of the global population live in communities that prefer it. Still, first cousin marriage is illegal in many countries – such as China, North Korea, Norway, and Belgium – and in 30 out the 50 American states. It’s worth noting that some of these states go so far as to criminalize cousin marriage and no other jurisdictions in the world do so. The story we are following is out of England, where the National Health Service (NHS) recently released guidance on both potential benefits and health concerns of cousin marriage. Cousin marriage is legal in the United Kingdom and is particularly popular within the South Asian community. However, shortly after the NHS chimed in on this topic, data from the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) was released that revealed poor health or death in 72 pre-one-year-old infants in 2023/24 due to close relative marriage – more than double the deaths that were linked to substance abuse during pregnancy that year. Thus, cousin marriage is now front and center in British public discourse.
The Pros and Cons of Marrying Your Cousin
