It’s Legal in Wisconsin To Marry Your Cousin
Yes. You read that right. Check it out by clicking on this map.
Technically, in Wisconsin, it’s only legal under certain circumstances to marry your cousin. Specifically, if the woman is 55 or older, or one is unable to reproduce. But COME ON. That’s your blood relative!!! Who does that??
From Yahoo:
How many states allow a resident to marry a cousin?
When Texas made marriage between first cousins illegal last year, that left 19 states and the District of Columbia as havens for those who want to get jiggy with the offspring of their aunt or uncle. Six more states allow marriage between first cousins under certain circumstances. All states allow marriage between second or more-distant cousins.
A 2002 research study concluded that the offspring of first-cousin couples “inherited recessive genetic disorders, such as cystic fibrosis and Tay-Sachs disease, in 7% to 8% of cases.” That’s 2 to 3% greater than the general population, which is significant but much lower than the overall perception. And since genetic testing can now alert couples to heightened risk, the danger is potentially even lower. Many societies actually encourage marriage between cousins; the U.S. is “virtually alone among developed nations” in outlawing them.
If you’re still not convinced, perhaps a little name-dropping will help. Charles Darwin, who knew a thing or two about genetics, married his first cousin. Other famous cousin-marriers include Queen Victoria, Rudy Giuliani, and FDR.
Giuliani’s first marriage was to his 2nd cousin. They were married for 14 years, before Giuliani, a good Catholic, had their marriage annulled by the church on the grounds that he and Peruggi were a little too closely related for God to approve. Nooo… really???
Marriage between brothers and sisters was common among royalty in ancient Egypt.
Comment by Heraldblog — 2/28/2006 @ 7:54 am
So? Just because it’s common, does that mean that it’s ok?
Comment by Tara — 2/28/2006 @ 1:05 pm
No, just icky.
Comment by Heraldblog — 2/28/2006 @ 3:50 pm
well…”it could always be worse”: you could live in a green state, like I do.
Comment by ucchemta — 3/3/2006 @ 12:39 pm
I was positive Arkansas and Mississippi would have allowed it. Since I have some step-family from
down there, it would have explained a lot if I could blame it on my relative just getting “jiggy”
Comment by Kim — 3/3/2006 @ 5:34 pm
Go green states whooo
Comment by Trinity — 3/20/2006 @ 12:32 pm
Tara - your answers are not only uninformed, but poorly delivered.
But, that’s what’s so great about the internet - one gets to spout off unintelligable opinions, with the guise of being fact.
Yea for free speech!!
Comment by Beverly — 12/26/2006 @ 12:22 pm
Uninformed? Most of my post is a direct quote off of yahoo. ???
Comment by Tara — 12/26/2006 @ 2:04 pm
“Giuliani’s first marriage was to his 2nd cousin. They were married for 14 years, before Giuliani, a good Catholic, had their marriage annulled by the church on the grounds that he and Peruggi were a little too closely related for God to approve. Nooo… really???”
I was referring to this comment. So, basically, you are saying that it took him FOURTEEN years for his “good catholic” sense to
kick in? Be serious - it was probably a scapegoat for something else (and it’s not really anyone’s business, besides). I just
think it’s strange how you feel that relationships between cousins are somehow “morally” wrong. It is too obvious you don’t have
your facts straight, seeing as your posts are the product of pure ignorance.
So, to enlighten you (since it seems that all your information derives from the internet):
http://archives.cnn.com/2002/LAW/04/….incest.04.09/
http://www.newhousenews.com/archive/sefton012004.html
http://www.slate.com/id/2064227/
Comment by Beverly — 12/26/2006 @ 8:15 pm
I think Beverly is a little bit misguided. Or has a hard time picking up on sarcasm. One or the other
Comment by Tim — 12/27/2006 @ 7:46 am
Well, Tim, sarcasm is one thing. I’m simply picking out choice words that Tara is using and exploring
them, in order to reveal that she has little knowledge in what she says. She’s using Giuliani’s divorce
as a means to answer a rather complicated issue that deals with privacy issues. It’s actually kind of
funny.
Comment by Beverly — 12/27/2006 @ 9:59 am
I havent seen you pick apart any words. As Tara said, 75% of her original post was pasted from a Yahoo article, so I don’t see where you get off ripping her for it.
I’ll admit I have little knowledge in this subject. I choose to have little knowledge in it, because I don’t plan on marrying a relative! Is that why this is such a sore subject for you? Does your husband double as your kid’s uncle?
Comment by Tim — 12/27/2006 @ 8:41 pm
I actually picked out the words “good catholic” and “fourteen” and “wrong”- you will see me doing so on Comment #9
(that is called sarcasm). And no, I’m not married and have never had children - I’m too young to be meddling in all that.
This is a sore subject to me, just as women’s rights and equality issues are. Like I said, it’s about privacy, and
letting people do what they want in their personal time (with the exception of violence or harm, or whatever.)
And I’m “ripping her for it” simply because she sounds like an idiot. So why are you “ripping” on me?
Comment by Beverly — 12/27/2006 @ 10:51 pm
Hey Bev… CHILL out. Have you taken a look at the rest of my site? There’s very little seriousness in it. Life’s too short worry about petty stuff like putting “quotes” around every other “word” in your “comments.”
Happy New Year!
Comment by Tara — 12/29/2006 @ 10:31 pm
Isn’t it too short to be writing on your own blog all the time too?
Comment by Beverly — 12/30/2006 @ 10:51 am
I say we should allow creepy people to do what they will, it only hurts the children geneticly anyway- plus, the more messed up the people are the less hold they’ll have in congress. that might even help with gun control and racism problems. Just an opinion
Comment by Connor Mason — 7/1/2007 @ 5:16 pm
I personally don’t see anything wrong with marrying your second cousin, although a first cousin is a little akward, especially with the same last name. I married my second cousin (both of our maternal grandmothers were sisters) and we have 3 kids that are perfectly fine, and the Bible states nothing against it. I found it easier to trust him because of the fact that we were family so we already had a relationship. We didn’t have the same last name, and we don’t look a like really, so no one really knows our family relationship. Sure, it may mess up the family tree a bit, but we also had very close family values which we both followed, and it made it easier to set them. It doesn’t even make us bad people. We still go to church and are very strong Roman Catholics, and two of our kids go to Parochial school. Everyone can believe what they want to, but that doesn’t make it wrong.
Comment by giovanna — 8/6/2007 @ 7:24 pm
I would not want to marry a first cousin. I think it would be to close for comfort. However, second cousins are more distant and sometimes don’t even know each other at all. I think it might be fine to marry a second cousin in some cases. I am not Judge and Jury, and if I knew someone married to a second cousin, I would not be critical of them for it. Live and let live.
Comment by CJ — 9/30/2007 @ 12:17 am