Can you get married to your blood relative?
By alienstar
@alienstar (5142)
India
July 9, 2010 6:52am CST
Marriage does happen between two individuals without knowing each other in case of arranged marriage and also with knowing each other in case of love marriage.But there are instances of marriage in relatives ! have you heard of marriage between blood relatives? if they are far relatives , then it is fine but there are instances of marriage between individuals who are close relatives!
1 person likes this
22 responses
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
9 Jul 10
It depends on how close the relationship is, really. In the UK and many other countries, marriage between first cousins (people who share one set of grandparents out of two) is legal and allowed. In some places, even marriage between second cousins (who have one set of great-grandparents in common out of four) is frowned on or regarded with suspicion.
In small communities, especially in the past where travel was limited and possible suitors were available only from a fairly small region, the likelihood of some quite complicated inbreeding is much greater, even when the 'no closer than first cousins' rule was observed.
It is the danger of any inherited condition, especially those which are recessive, becoming prevalent in the community which is the problem. Physical conditions, such as haemophilia (as in the Russian royal family) are far more serious than mental problems!
@alienstar (5142)
• India
9 Jul 10
I think in western countries it is more common than our country as it does happen very rarely here.But i don't believe in such relationships as i also believe that it is really and in our country if such things happen it might be one small news.The main thing is whether love can exist in such relationships or not?
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
9 Jul 10
Certainly love can exist in such relationships. The love you are talking about is the kind of love that exists not just between two people but by both for an institution that they are jointly responsible for ... a home; a family; children and their upbringing; and also a backward commitment to the parents and their community. That is what married love involves and, of course, it depends, to a certain extent, on the support it receives from the parties involved, especially the parents and community.
If a situation could be imagined where brother and sister, father and daughter, son and mother were the only ones in a community able to procreate and thus ensure the continuance of the society, I am sure that objections would be overridden and that such a union would be allowed (as an exception) and that the couple involved would find the appropriate love for each other and for their family.
I am quite sure that such a situation has arisen at least once in the course of human history and that you or I (for all we know) may exist because of it.
@checapricorn (16061)
• United States
9 Jul 10
It happens to someone I know. They met and fell in love and on the day of their wedding, with the presence of all the relatives, they found out that they are cousins, I guess it was 2nd degree. They decided to continue the ceremony, now they are blesses with 4 kids I guess..
@nobbsy123 (851)
• Australia
9 Jul 10
You can't marry any blood relatives. In Australia it's one of the questions they ask before you get married. Birth defects are likely to happen if they have kids and to avoid this you cannot marry a blood relative.
@alienstar (5142)
• India
9 Jul 10
I also heard that some defect might happen to children of such parents and all in all it is always better to avoid such relationships isn't it? when there can be other people around who can be good to you, why take the risk of marrying a blood relative and that too inviting such problems all the time isn't it?
@chrislotz (8137)
• Canada
20 Feb 11
I don't think there is a law against it but I think it is morally wrong. This is only my opinion, not fact, but you asked in this discussion so you are allowing me to express my view. I think it is sick when two people that are related by blood, would even go there about this. What is in a person's mind if they are feeling romantic feelings for say, a brother or sister. This is not normal behavior.
The worst part of a situation like this would be the children this union would produce. They would definitly have children with mental problems physically and mentally as in they would have emotional problems that can be just as difficult to cope with as physical problems would be.
I can't even go on about this subject, I am sorry, my views on this on too strong.
@loralie1106 (208)
• Philippines
9 Jul 10
If its a distant relative I think It's acceptable. But if its a cousin ist or second or third I amnot amenable to it. Not only in the eye of people around as it is not acceptable, but scientifically, there are a lot of congenitl anomalies associated with blood marriages.
@alienstar (5142)
• India
9 Jul 10
Far relationship is quite okay than very close ones and i also agree to this, but not completely as i will be having sisterly feeling on them and developing love will be very very difficult and over that running a family wit them is unimaginable for sure.But i feel this again depends on each country as many countries does support and people in it also will be having same feeling
@meemingNEW (2226)
• Philippines
10 Jul 10
YES. You can marry your blood relatives but you really have to consider the genetic risks that your putting out for that. In the Philippines, blood relatives can marry through civil wedding.
I can attest to that because my father's cousins are 1st-degree cousins and are married for more almost 30 years now. Fortunately for them, their children(my 2nd-degree cousins) don't have birth defects. If you consider homosexuality as something abnormal, then they do have 2 lesbian daughters but other than that, they have a common sickness which is lupus. That's just it.
@goldeneagle (6745)
• United States
12 Jul 10
I wouldn't do it personally, but I DO believe that it is legal in the state of Alabama LOL
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
12 Jul 10
Marriage between close relatives, such as siblings, because the chance of inherited diseases is greatly increased. In biblical times, marriage between first cousins was encouraged but not now. I wonder about children who are born through artificial insemination with sperm from a sperm bank. Usually, the mother does not know who donated the sperm. What if two such children met and got married. Genetically, they are half-siblings.
@p3ks626 (6538)
• Philippines
10 Jul 10
I think there are some people or races who do that but I am not sure which one. I have heard of that too and the most common is when its already a distant relative that you are trying to marry then its okay. If you get married to a close blood relative then there are a possibility of having not normal kids. I think genetics has an explanation for that and why is happens. I just cant remember what it was.
@knicnax (2233)
• Philippines
11 Jul 10
Being married to a blood relative is allowed, I think. If you look at the angle from the bible, The first people on the world were Adam and Eve. They had 2 sons. Cain and Abel. If they didn't inter-marry, how would we come to be?
Anyway, in our constitution here, people are not allowed to marry up to the 4th degree of consanguinity, meaning you're not allowed to marry up to your first cousins.
If you look at it medically, marrying a close relative would mean a lot of birth defects, that's because you came from the same gene pool, all bad genes you have increases the chance of the baby having it.
@qianyun6 (2067)
• China
10 Jul 10
There are two aspects in this question: ethics and physiology. I tend to neglect the former because true love should never be condemned. As for the latter, marriage will cause a higher risk to give birth to a congenitally abnormality baby. So in line with being responsible for the next generation, we shouldn't marry with blood relative. But if don't plan to have babies, I don't think blood relation is any problem. It's their own business after all. You see, some regions/countries have allowed homosexual marriage.
@woodman321123 (356)
• China
10 Jul 10
I think it is bad for two people who get married with blood relative . That could affect thier baby's health . It is bad for their whole family . Do you think so ?
@chiumee (850)
• Philippines
9 Jul 10
i know some people who are relatives and got married. it has always been a topic about some genetic problems on the offsprings of these couples. but these people i knew, good for them they didn't have even a sickly kid while they have about 5 children. now i am not sure how many kids they have. i haven't been in contact with them for a long time.
@ebuscat (5935)
• Philippines
10 Jul 10
For me not good because they are tendency that abnormal growth of the child.
@wahsher (175)
• India
9 Jul 10
Yes. Marriages also happen between blood relatives. In my country India one can marry a daughter of his uncle. Here, uncle means a brother of his mother. I also heard that in many countries marriage with a cousin is allowed.
But I would prefer to marry a girl who is not in blood relation or close relation. Because there are more chances of break up in the close relations. This is my personal view.
@merma1267 (130)
• Philippines
9 Jul 10
My goodness, as a saying LOT'S OF FISH (men/women) in the sea wherein you can find to the RIGHT ONE. Just be patient, in time he/she's there beside of you. you better consider of what God's commandment, if you believe in GOD.. if not... well, be ashamed with your family.
@sweetloveforeve (13107)
• Portugal
9 Jul 10
well blood relatives thats complicated :( also is true some children can be born with serious mental problems bcs of it. anyway there are also some family problems with that i guess some people dont agree with that. anyway i dont think they should marry bcs of how children can be born but if they love each other and want to be together then ok as long as they dont have kids maybe they can adopt^^
@rhodzptc (1317)
• Philippines
9 Jul 10
There are rare cases of this but I think marrying your blood relatives would not be a big issue at all. The question is that would they realized the possibility of having an abnormal child if case they do both have same blood and DNA. There is a very high possibility of having an abnormal child if two partners of same bloodline make love.
