Summary
| State | First cousin marriage allowed | Sexual relations or cohabitation allowed | First-cousin marriages void | Sterility requirement to marry cousin |
| Alabama | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Alaska | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Arizona | Only if both parties are 65 or older, or ... | No | Yes | Yes |
| Arkansas | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Is it legal to marry your second cousin?
31/03/2020 · No states ban marriages between second cousins. Some states have more “interesting” laws, such as Arizona: first cousins may marry only if both are sixty-five years of age or older. Also Know, are second cousins blood related? It means that the closest ancestor that two people have in common is a grandparent. (If they were any more closely related, they …
Do states recognize cousin marriages performed in another state?
What states can you marry your 2nd cousin? According to the NCSL, cousin marriage is legal in: Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina (in North Carolina, first-cousin marriage is legal, but double-cousin marriage is prohibited).
What states allow first-cousin marriage?
22/06/2020 · What states can you marry your second cousin? Alabama: First cousins, yes. Alaska: First cousins, yes. Arizona: First cousins, yes, only if they are over a certain age or cannot bear children. California: First cousins, yes. Colorado: First cousins, yes. Connecticut: First cousins, yes.
Is it legal to marry your first cousin in Arkansas?
23/04/2021 · What level of cousin can you marry? In the United States, second cousins are legally allowed to marry in every state. However, marriage between first cousins is legal in only about half of the American states. All in all, marrying your cousin or half-sibling will largely depend on the laws where you live and personal and/or cultural beliefs.
What states can't you marry your first cousin?
1 | A ban on marriages between first cousins and first cousins once removed. Indiana, Kentucky, Nevada, Ohio, Washington and Wisconsin. These states have the strictest laws (especially Kentucky, Nevada and Ohio, as you’ll see the others below all make exceptions). In these six states, you can’t marry your first cousin OR first cousin once removed ...
How old do you have to be to be infertile in Illinois?
In Illinois, both have to be over 50 or one has to be infertile; in Arizona both have to be over 65 or one has to be infertile; in Utah both have to be over 65, or both have to be over 55 with one being infertile. This is all designed to make sure married first cousins don’t have kids.
Which states don't have adopted cousin loopholes?
Louisiana, Mississippi, Oregon, West Virginia. I was actually surprised more of the banned states from above don’t have adopted cousin loopholes. Because, in general, the biggest argument against first cousin marriage is, ya know, the potential for flipper children. If you’re legislating against adopted first cousins marrying, ...
Does Michigan have a precedent for first cousin marriage?
Michigan doesn’t have any precedents on it, nor any laws that seem to specifically prohibit it. Arkansas’s position on first cousin marriages is clearer — they don’t want to accept it — but a 1986 Arkansas Supreme Court decision, Etheridge v.
Can first cousins get together in Indiana?
In Indiana, first cousins or first once removed can get together… as long as they’re both over 65 and infertile. In Wisconsin, the way around the ban is for the woman to be over 55 or at least one of the two people to be infertile.
Can white people marry their first cousins in Minnesota?
Minnesota. Translation: White people in Minnesota may not marry their first cousins. If there were black people in Minnesota, they’d be banned from that too. But if you’re from a local Indian population where marrying your first cousin is a part of your history… it’s all good.
What Are The States Where You Can Marry Your Cousin?
There are no states in the United States of America where you can legally marry your own sibling despite the popular misconception of everything being legal in the state of Alabama.
Does Alabama Allow Cousin Marriages?
With cousin marriages, the possibility of a deformed gene being passed is less but still there. There are some states in the United States where cousin marriages are allowed such as Alabama however they also have many other restrictions to protect the life of individuals and ensure their wellbeing.
Why Do Eastern Countries Allow Cousin Marriage?
The eastern countries that include India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Oman, Saudi Arabia and so many others allow cousin marriage. In fact, cousin marriages are very popular here because of the ease of finding a proposal and also being able to retain control over the family and property.
Taboo Relationships – What Are They?
Taboo relationships are relationships that are considered inappropriate by society. This means that such relationships go against the norms and values of the society a person lives in whether or not there is a good enough reason to support such a thing.
Conclusion
This article talked about which states allow sibling marriages. The article also looked at reasons why people would engage in such relations and why such relations are banned in most places. The article also commented on cousin marriages and why people engage in them.
How many states prohibit first cousin marriage?
Seven states prohibit first-cousin-once-removed marriages. Some states prohibiting cousin marriage recognize cousin marriages performed in other states, but despite occasional claims that this holds true in general, laws also exist that explicitly void all foreign cousin marriages or marriages conducted by state residents out of state.
Which state allows first cousin marriage?
The U.S. state of Maine allows first-cousin marriage if the couple agrees to have genetic counseling, while North Carolina allows it so long as the applicants for marriage are not rare double first cousins, meaning cousins through both parental lines. In the other 25 states permitting at least some first-cousin marriage, ...
When was the first cousin marriage ban repealed in Minnesota?
A bill to repeal the ban on first-cousin marriage in Minnesota was introduced by Phyllis Kahn in 2003, but it died in committee. Republican Minority Leader Marty Seifert criticized the bill in response, saying it would "turn us into a cold Arkansas".
Who wrote about the advantages of marriages between unrelated persons?
By the 1870s, Lewis Henry Morgan (1818–1881) was writing about "the advantages of marriages between unrelated persons" and the necessity of avoiding "the evils of consanguine marriage", avoidance of which would "increase the vigor of the stock".
Is cousin marriage a criminal offense?
Criminal offense 1. 1 Some states recognize marriages performed elsewhere, while other states do not. Cousin marriage laws in the United States vary considerably from one state to another, ranging from cousin marriages being legal in some to being a criminal offense in others. However, even in the states where it is legal, ...
Who was the governor of Massachusetts in 1846?
In 1846, Massachusetts Governor George N. Briggs appointed a commission to study mentally handicapped people (termed " idiots ") in the state. This study implicated cousin marriage as responsible for idiocy.
Did cousin marriage cause blindness?
Within the next two decades, numerous reports (e.g., one from the Kentucky Deaf and Dumb Asylum) appeared with similar conclusions: that cousin marriage sometimes resulted in deafness, blindness, and idiocy.
Overview
Proposed changes
A bill to repeal the ban on first-cousin marriage in Minnesota was introduced by Phyllis Kahn in 2003, but it died in committee. Republican Minority Leader Marty Seifert criticized the bill in response, saying it would "turn us into a cold Arkansas". According to the University of Minnesota's The Wake, Kahn was aware the bill had little chance of passing but introduced it anyway to draw attention to the issue. She reportedly got the idea after learning that cousin marriage is an accep…
Current position
Several states of the United Statesprohibit cousin marriage. As of February 2014 , 24 U.S. states prohibit marriages between first cousins, 19 U.S. states allow marriages between first cousins, and seven U.S. states allow only some marriages between first cousins. Seven states prohibit first-cousin-once-removed marriages. Some states prohibiting cousin marriage recognize cousin marriages performed in other states, but despite occasional claims that this holds true in genera…
Incidence
Data on cousin marriage in the United States is sparse. It was estimated in 1960 that 0.2% of all marriages between Roman Catholics were between first or second cousins, but no more recent nationwide studies have been performed. It is unknown what proportion of that number were first cousins, which is the group facing marriage bans.
While recent studies have cast serious doubt on whether cousin marriage is as dangerous as is …
History
Cousin marriage was legal in all states before the Civil War. Anthropologist Martin Ottenheimer argues that marriage prohibitions were introduced to maintain the social order, uphold religious morality, and safeguard the creation of fit offspring. Writers such as Noah Webster (1758–1843) and ministers like Philip Milledoler(1775–1852) and Joshua McIlvaine helped lay the groundwork for such viewpoints well before 1860. This led to a gradual shift in concern from affinal unions, li…
See also
• Cousin marriage court cases in the United States
• Laws regarding incest in the United States