Analysis of Marriages between First-Degree Relatives and the Consequences on Future Generations

This paper will discuss about marriages between firs-degree relatives and the consequences of these cultural practices on future generations of children. Marriages between firs cousins is a common cultural practice among Muslim community and not only. Researchers followed 13776 pregnancies in Bradford and found that 6.1% of children born to first cousins had congenital anomalies and that 98% of these children were born to people of Pakistani origin. This compared with a 2.4% risk of congenital anomalies in non-consanguineous marriages in the study (Chinthapalli, K. (2013). First cousin marriage can double risk of birth defects, finds study. BMJ:BritishMedicalJournal(Online), 347 doi:http://dx.doi.org.bow.highline.edu/10.1136/bmj.f4374). In many communities first line marriages are encouraged and is a good reason of kipping property in the family. Beside the benefits of marriages between relatives presented by the representatives of these communities, these practices also have negative effects on future generations that have been scientifically proven.

Marriage between first line cousins it is a tradition that has been practiced in many communities around the world. Even if it is not an obligation, many couples still continue to practice it. This fact proves that traditions, religion, and cultural values are an important factor in the life of the representatives of these communities. The video talks about the British people of Pakistani origin, among which the marriage between relatives represents fifty percent but in some cities this percentage can reach up to seventy-five. On the other hand it is scientifically demonstrated that a large part of spontaneous abortions, children born dead, and children born with congenital pathologies in families consisting of two cousins is due to a genetic incompatibility of the parents. Children born from relatives parents have higher risk of autosomal-recessive diseases. The higher the degree of kinship between parents, the higher the chance of having a child born with a very serious genetic defect such as paralysis, deafness, blindness, microcephaly and so on. Among the children whose parents are primary relatives, the risk is ten times higher.

Alarming is the fact that in the family shown in the video three children out of six suffer from serious genetic pathologies. This is a huge number, and parents do not accept that their family relationship is the cause of the suffering of their children. They really believe that this is the way of the God and practically ignore what science has definitely demonstrated. It is understandable that not all couples have sick children, but the risk remains very high compared to unrelated couples.

The arguments that support marriages between cousins are the bonds of love and friendship between young people and their relatives, but it is not guaranteed that disagreements will not arise in these families. Love is not limited only to those in family, and humans can love someone not related to family members. Sometimes the mother-in-low or father-in-low can be closer than the biological parents, and you can build new positive bonds with people who were strangers for you before marriage.

A good think is that doctors openly discouraging marriages between cousins and explaining to patients the risks of these relationships. It is very difficult, sometimes it’s impossible to convince someone that the traditions and culture that they have respected for centuries have negative effects on the community and future generations. Even now when it has done demonstrated the direct relationship between cousin marriages and the genetic pathologies that appeared at the offsprings, parents give priority to the religion over science and technology. Scientists try to raise society’s awareness of this problem and come up with suggestions to reduce the risk of these serious diseases. Education plays an important role in this context, and it is known that women’s education is a protective factor in all ethnicities. Even if it is cultural or traditional doctors come with recommendations to perform some investigations first. Family members should have dome some genetic testing before having babies, so they can know in advance what their percentage of passing on an illness to new generation.