On 9/25/2012 10:40 PM, Somebody wrote:
> "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
>
>
Are you trying to defend your new love affair?