By: Sakhi
Is it appropriate for cousins or other relatives to marry? In some cultures and communities, cousin marriages are considered ideal and are actively encouraged and expected; in others, they are seen as incestuous and are subject to social stigma and taboo. Normally, there is nothing wrong to marry the cousin, but the practice is still considered a social stigma because opinions vary widely as to the merits of the practice. Children of first-cousin marriages have an increased risk of autosomal recessive genetic disorders, and this risk is higher in populations that are already highly ethnically similar.[10] Children of more distantly related cousins have less risk of these disorders, though still higher than the average population.
Furthermore, Cousin marriages have genetic aspects that increase the chance of sharing genes for recessive traits. The percentage of consanguinity between any two individuals decreases fourfold as the most recent common ancestor recedes one generation. In April 2002, the Journal of Genetic Counseling released a report which estimated the average risk of birth defects in a child born of first cousins at 1.1–2.0 percentage points over an average base risk for non-cousin couples of 3%, or about the same as that of any woman over age 40. In terms of mortality, a 1994 study found a mean excess pre-reproductive mortality rate of 4.4%, while another study published in 2009 suggests the rate may be closer to 3.5%.
In contrary, marrying the cousins can also give some advantages. Marrying your first cousin might raise a few eyebrows, but it also comes with some surprising health benefits. A new study suggests that first-cousin marriages could offer some protection against heart disease.
Scientists from universities worldwide have been working with the Center for Non-Communicable Diseases in Pakistan to collect blood samples from around the country. In a small fishing village on the coast of Pakistan, where first-cousin marriages are common, researchers found a small group of people were missing the APOC3 gene. This gene helps regulate metabolism and lipoproteins associated with heart disease in the body. People who were missing the gene had low triglyceride levels, and did not experience an increase in plasma triglycerides after a fattening meal, which is what usually happens. Nevertheless, cousin marriage can also make the relationship and ties between same family more strong and let them to live more happily.
So, Cousin Marriage has its own prons and cons, advantages and disadvantages, merits and demerits.
(-The writer is a student of Sociology department at University of Turbat.)