UK’s ex-minister calls for ban on first-cousin marriage

Richard Holden, a Conservative former minister in the United Kingdom, called for a ban on first-cousin marriage in the country, citing concerns over increased risks of birth defects among children of such unions.

According to the BBC, Holden introduced his proposals in Parliament on Tuesday, emphasising that prohibiting the practice would serve to protect public health.

Under current legislation, marriages to a sibling, parent or child are prohibited but not between first cousins.

Holden said that while the overall prevalence of first-cousin marriage was low in Western countries, certain diaspora communities, such as Irish travellers and British Pakistanis, had “extremely high rates” of 20%-40%.

The MP for Basildon and Billericay cited research suggesting the child of first cousins carries around double the risk of inheriting a serious disorder compared to the child or unrelated people.

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 considered social and cultural calculations,” he told MPs.

“Strict honour codes, where expressions of individuality can be subject to social isolation, violence and even death in some cases, dominate thinking.”

He also said first-cousin marriage was “not really conducive to modern British society”.

However, independent MP Iqbal Mohamed countered that a ban would be ineffective, advocating instead for educational programmes to raise awareness of the associated risks.

“However, the way to redress this is not to empower the state to ban adults from marrying each other, not least because I don’t think it would be effective or enforceable,” the MP for Dewsbury and Batley said.

“Instead, the matter needs to be approached as a health awareness issue and a cultural issue, where women are being forced against their will to undergo marriage.”

He added: “Instead of stigmatising those who are in cousin marriages or those inclined to be, a much more positive approach would be to facilitate advanced genetic test screening for prospective married couples… and more generally to run health education programs targeting those communities where the practice is most common.”

While Downing Street acknowledged the existing expert advice regarding the dangers of first-cousin marriages, it confirmed that the government has no plans to amend current laws.

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 House of Commons.

However, such bills are unlikely to become law without government support because of the limited parliamentary time available for them.

The move comes weeks after experts in Pakistan also raised concerns over a sharp rise in genetic disorders in the country due to a high ratio of cousin marriages.

According to a recent The News report, cousin marriages in Pakistan amount to more than 65% of the total marriages in the country with the number even rising to 85% in some communities.