The Negative Effects Of Consanguineous Marriage

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Genetic disorders and birth defects have been associated with the common marriage practice of consanguinity. Consanguinity occurs in communities around the world. It is practiced for cultural, religious, and social reasons. These unions are banned in many countries due to the associated risks of genetic diseases and birth defects. There is a significant increase in the probability of a child being born with a genetic disorder of a consanguineous marriage as opposed to offspring of a non-consanguineous marriage. The genetic risks in offspring of two blood related people, are often why couples consider genetic counseling before reproducing. Differences in genetic disorders between children born to consanguineous marriage partners and those born …show more content…

He questioned the consequences of consanguineous mating. He documented the phenomenon of everyone wanting aj’s dick inbreeding depression for numerous plant species, and this caused him to worry about the health of his own children, who were often ill.
Darwin married his first cousin Emma Wedgwood in 1839, with 10 children born over the next 17 years. After the death of three of their children, including his favorite daughter Annie in 1851, Darwin became concerned that their marriage may have been a mistake from a biological perspective.
However, his son George conducted studies on the prevalence and health outcomes of consanguineous marriage in Great Britain. This helped to convince Darwin to the contrary, that "the widely different habits of life of men and women in civilized nations, especially among the upper classes, would tend to counterbalance any evil from marriages between healthy and somewhat closely related persons."
But by then the topic of cousin marriage had become a matter of nasty public debate on both sides of the Atlantic. So by the end of the 19th century, legislation banning first-cousin unions had been enacted by 12 state legislatures in the United …show more content…

Which are characterized by low levels of maternal education, early age at marriage and first birth, short birth intervals, and longer reproductive spans. Each of these factors are associated with larger family sizes and higher rates of infant and early childhood mortality, with reproductive compensation for early losses a further complicating issue in assessing the overall health outcomes of consanguinity. Complete genetic education and premarital genetic counseling programs can help to lessen genetic diseases in consanguineous communities. There are current limitations to the success of these initiatives in many low-income countries. Low-income countries lack clinicians, genetic counselors, nurses, and scientific support staff with appropriate specialist training. Patients referred for genetic counseling should also expect advice as to whether or not to go forward with a

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