People in Florida can still legally marry their first cousin as bill fails to pass
A couple get married (Stock image via Getty Images)
In an age when some LGBTQ+ people around the world cannot marry their partners, it seems marrying your first cousin is absolutely fine. In places like Florida, at least.
A bill which would have banned it has failed to pass through the Florida Senate this week.
The bill, HB-733, proposed “incestuous marriages” would not be legal in Florida from 1 July this year.
It said specifically that a man “may not marry any woman to whom he is related by lineal consanguinity, nor his sister, nor his aunt, nor his niece”, and a woman can’t wed a man “whom she is related by lineal consanguinity, nor her brother, nor her uncle, nor her nephew”.
One reason why many places have made marriage between first cousins illegal is an increased genetic risks for any children they might have.
According to PET, children of first cousins are at an increased risk of “recessive” conditions, which are caused by the child inheriting two copies of a gene which carries the mutation. The risk is increased, because first cousins share 12.5 per cent of their genetic make-up, so could have inherited the same genetic mutation.
However Florida isn’t the only US state in which marriage between first cousins is legal.
It’s still legal in Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia. Meanwhile, it’s legal in some other states with some guidelines, such as if one partner is infertile or of a certain age.
It’s also not illegal in the UK, though is a highly debated topic.
Florida’s State Representative Dean Black told Action News Jax that he believes another vote on the bill will come.
Black said: “There are plenty of people here, and there are plenty of people you can find to be your lifelong partner without looking to your first cousin.”
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
