The UK’s National Health Service has pulled down a report that described possible “benefits” of first-cousin marriage after critics slammed it for downplaying serious health risks.
The article, published last week by NHS England’s Genomics Education Programme, asked whether the government should consider banning cousin marriage. It claimed that marrying a first cousin could bring “extended family support systems and economic advantages,” reports the BBC. The piece also pointed out the practice has been legal in the UK since the 1500s.
Medical experts and campaigners said the guidance came across as promoting a practice that carries clear risks for children. On average, babies of unrelated parents face a 2–3 percent chance of being born with a defect or disability. For first cousins, the risk doubles to about 5 to 6 percent.
Dr. Patrick Nash of the Pharos Foundation called the NHS piece “truly dismaying.” He told The Telegraph: “Cousin marriage is incest, plain and simple, and needs to be banned with the utmost urgency – there is no ‘balance’ to be struck between this cultural lifestyle choice and the severe public health implications it incurs.”
The since-deleted article noted that cousin unions remain common in regions like the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, where they are often encouraged. In the West, however, the practice is largely viewed as taboo and increasingly scrutinized by doctors.
The report also mentioned that lifestyle factors like smoking or drinking in pregnancy carry risks too — but none of those are outlawed in the UK. The report was quietly removed from the website.
The article, published last week by NHS England’s Genomics Education Programme, asked whether the government should consider banning cousin marriage. It claimed that marrying a first cousin could bring “extended family support systems and economic advantages,” reports the BBC. The piece also pointed out the practice has been legal in the UK since the 1500s.
Medical experts and campaigners said the guidance came across as promoting a practice that carries clear risks for children. On average, babies of unrelated parents face a 2–3 percent chance of being born with a defect or disability. For first cousins, the risk doubles to about 5 to 6 percent.
Dr. Patrick Nash of the Pharos Foundation called the NHS piece “truly dismaying.” He told The Telegraph: “Cousin marriage is incest, plain and simple, and needs to be banned with the utmost urgency – there is no ‘balance’ to be struck between this cultural lifestyle choice and the severe public health implications it incurs.”
The since-deleted article noted that cousin unions remain common in regions like the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, where they are often encouraged. In the West, however, the practice is largely viewed as taboo and increasingly scrutinized by doctors.
The report also mentioned that lifestyle factors like smoking or drinking in pregnancy carry risks too — but none of those are outlawed in the UK. The report was quietly removed from the website.
