Maryland’s Democratic state representative Henry Heller would like to see his state become the 25th in the U.S. to ban first cousin marriages. Heller is a retired special education administrator and says he is tired of people playing, “genetic roulette” through first cousin marriage.
Heller says he doesn’t mind if infertile or elderly cousins marry, if they, “want the companionship.” He just doesn’t want first cousins reproducing, due to an increased risk in birth defects; such birth defect risks have been supported by scientific studies for decades. The increased risk, however, is no different than it would be for any woman giving birth after age 41.
Heller introduced a bill to ban all first cousin marriage in 2000 which failed. It is speculated that he included exemptions for those over age 65 or couples where one partner could prove infertility to help the success of the new bill.
It may be news to many that only 24 states currently ban marriage between firs t cousins. Some that do, consider them a felony. This brings up an interesting question of whether marriages illegal in one state must be honored if the marriages were legal in the state where they were performed. This is of course one of the arguments currently related to same-sex marriage and the federal case now being considered over California’s Proposition 8.
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