UK Parliament, for the first time, is set to introduce a bill to ban first-cousin marriages in the country.
Earlier the marriages between siblings was prohibited, but now UK is to ban marriages between first cousins.
Former minister Richard Holden has now called for the ban over first cousin marriages.
He said that marriages between first cousins have nearly double the chance of causing birth defects and also “reinforce negative structures and control women”.
He added that this issue is under consideration in many countries, and UK should also take decisive step on this issue. “First-cousin marriage causes serious concerns both in the UK and globally”, MP highlighted.
It is worth noting that medical experts also advised against cousin marriages. They said that cousin marriages can increase the risk of genetic disorders, leading to higher rates of infant deaths, infertility, premature births.
As per experts research, cousin marriages also cause major diseases like thalassemia, speech problems, bipolar disorder, epilepsy, deafness and other serious health issues.
Now this issue is highlighted in UK parliament with calls to ban cousin marriages in order to prevent potential genetic diseases.
However, Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones, stated that government would properly consider ‘marriage law’ before placing restrictions on first-cousin marriages.
