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First-cousin marriages has ‘benefits’, says NHS guidance despite birth defect risk
NHS guidance highlights cultural benefits of cousin marriage while critics cite doubled genetic disorder risks and call for a ban supported by 77% of Britons, a recent poll shows.
- Last week, NHS England's Genomics Education Programme published guidance saying first-cousin marriage offers stronger family support and economic advantages but warned a ban would stigmatise communities.
- Conservative MP Richard Holden introduced a bill to ban first-cousin marriage, backed by a YouGov poll showing 77 per cent oppose the practice this year.
- Research shows children's genetic risk increases from 2%-3% to 4%-6% in children of first cousins, while the Born in Bradford study found an 11% speech diagnosis rate and 92.5% consanguinity among rare autosomal recessive disorder parents.
- As of Monday, September 29, the guidance had been taken down from the website of the Genomics Education Programme, and an NHS England spokesman said it was a summary of existing research, not an official NHS view.
- With the NHS under financial strain, genetic disorders linked to cousin marriage add urgency, while Britain favours education over bans unlike Norway, South Korea, and China.
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NHS support for cousin marriage is a betrayal of women
The NHS used to be about treating the sick and saving lives. In recent years, however, it has strayed repeatedly into the territory of propaganda, making all sorts of unscientific claims to please minorities. Asking men whether they might be pregnant seems more about appeasing trans activists than medical necessity, and now an NHS body has faced criticism for promoting cousin marriage, a practice linked to well-documented health risks. Children …
Coverage Details
Total News Sources25
Leaning Left0Leaning Right15Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution88% Right
Bias Distribution
- 88% of the sources lean Right
88% Right
12%
R 88%
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