"George Leppla" > wrote in message
...
> On 9/25/2012 8:50 AM, sf wrote:
>> On Mon, 24 Sep 2012 23:59:47 -0400, "Somebody" >
>
>>> my dad came from a family of 12, and one of those 12 had 12. My
>>> grandmother
>>> had 56 grandchildren! (yes, they were farmers and catholic.)
>>>
>> 56 makes a fun reunion for cousins, that's for sure!
>
>
> In Louisiana and parts of Texas, guys go to their family reunions to meet
> girls.

"Contrary to widely held beliefs and longstanding taboos in America, first
cousins can have children together without a great risk of birth defects or
genetic disease, scientists are reporting today. They say there is no
biological reason to discourage cousins from marrying.

First cousins are somewhat more likely than unrelated parents to have a
child with a serious birth defect, mental retardation or genetic disease,
but their increased risk is nowhere near as large as most people think, the
scientists said.

In the general population, the risk that a child will be born with a serious
problem like spina bifida or cystic fibrosis is 3 percent to 4 percent; to
that background risk, first cousins must add another 1.7 to 2.8 percentage
points, the report said.

Twenty-four states have laws forbidding first cousins from marrying, and
seven states have limits like requiring genetic counseling. But no countries
in Europe have such prohibitions, and in parts of the Middle East, Africa
and Asia, marriages between cousins are considered preferable.

''In some parts of the world,'' the report says, ''20 to 60 percent of all
marriages are between close biological relatives.''

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/04/us...anted=2&src=pm