MP demands ban on cousin marriage
reutersA Conservative former minister has called for a ban on cousin-sister marriage in Britain.
Introducing the motion in Parliament, Richard Holden said that children of first cousins have a higher risk of birth defects and that the practice should be banned to protect public health.
However, independent MP Iqbal Mohammed argued that a ban would be ineffective and said that these issues would be better addressed through education programs to raise awareness of the risks.
Last month, the government said it wanted to take time to “properly consider our marriage law” before deciding a public stance on the issue.
Holden introduced his proposals using the 10-minute rule process, which allows a backbench MP to make the case for a new bill in a speech of up to 10 minutes in the Commons.
However, such bills are unlikely to become law without government support because of the limited parliamentary time available for them.
Under current law, marriage with a sibling, parent or child is prohibited, but not between cousins.
Holden said that the overall prevalence of first cousin marriage was low in Western countries, but that some migrant communities, such as Irish Travelers and British Pakistanis, had “extremely high rates” of 20–40%.
The MP for Basildon and Billericay cited research showing that children of cousins have twice the risk of having a serious disorder than those of cousins or those who are unrelated.
Holden also argued that the practice threatened women’s freedom.
“Women and girls living under a clan mentality often know the scientific risks of first cousin marriage, but make social and cultural calculations,” she told MPs.
“Strict honor codes, where expressions of individuality can be subject to social isolation, violence, and even death in some cases, dominate thinking.”
He said that cousin marriage “is not really compatible with modern British society”, adding: “This is about polygamous marriages. This is about the values and foundations of our society and our democracy. “
Speaking against the proposals, Mohammed said he agreed that there were health risks associated with first cousin marriage and that forced marriage should be stopped.
“However, the way to address this is not to give the state the power to ban adults from marrying each other, simply because I don’t think that would be effective or enforceable,” said the MP for Dewsbury and Batley. Said.
“Instead, this matter needs to be seen as a health awareness issue and a cultural issue, where women are being forced to marry against their will.”
He added: “Rather than stigmatizing people who marry cousins or wish to do so, a more positive approach would be to facilitate advanced genetic testing screening for prospective married couples… and those communities generally. “To run health education programs targeting where this practice is most common.”
