INCEST

[Bad Wolf]

You have to remember, Mins a bit old. People of that generation, tend to have less PC or progressive views than the rest of us. Saying that, some of my views aren't exactly PC either.

[Losty]

You have to remember, Mins a bit old. People of that generation, tend to have less PC or progressive views than the rest of us. Saying that, some of my views aren't exactly PC either.

I know min is old but he's also smart. And I know he knows that being a black-letter law does not prove a law to be right, just, or moral. Plus, I don't think min is that old, I'd still do him.

[Rev. Rye]

I voted C. The subject of incest fascinates me, largely because, thanks to the Westermarck Effect, human brains tend to be hard-wired against it; most of us would no sooner have sex with our siblings (or other relatives) than we would our pets. And yet, however rare it may be, it still happens.

Of course, when one breaks down the reasons for the incest taboo, one only really comes down to two things: the natural revulsion many of us feel about it, and the possibility of deformed offspring. I've heard that most of us carry the genes for, on average, seven genetic mutations that are potentially lethal. With two siblings procreating, the odds that one of those seven starts to express themslves will multiply.

Of course, when one takes away those two reasons (consenting adults and genetic mutations from breeding), what else is there?

I should point out that my home state (Illinois) will marry first cousins on the condition that one is infertile or both are over fifty, a similar law.

[Wyrd of Gawd]

Incest in the Bible...


Gen 4:16-17

Cain was the first born son of Adam and Eve, and Abel was the second. In Genesis 4 we read how Cain kills his brother and is sent east of Eden where he marries a woman and “lays” with her. Because Adam and Eve were the first humans – from whom all people come – Cain’s wife was his sister – and, consequently, all of the early Biblical relationships were incestuous (with the exception of Adam and Eve).


Gen 20:12-13

Abraham married his half sister Sara in Ur. The King of Gerara took her from Abraham and God sent him a dream to tell him that he would be destroyed for taking a woman who already had a husband (God approved of the marriage between the brother and sister). The King returned Sara to Abraham and they remained together as a couple until she died.

Gen 9:31-36

It doesn’t really get much more blatant than that. The two daughters had sex with their father, Lot, in order to preserve his family line. Incidentally, this all happened shortly after they had fled from Soddom and Gomorrah which was destroyed by God for its immorality – ironic?. After the events described above, Lot had no memory of it (maybe it was the liquor) and nine months later the daughters gave birth to two sons, Moab (father of the Moabites), and Ammon (father of the Ammonites).

Abraham's brother Nahor married his niece Milcah, the daughter of his other brother Haran.

Just a few examples.

Royal families are typically big fans of incest.  They don't want the common riff-raff wearing the royal jewels.  The Israelites/Hebrews/Jews were also big fans of incest.  They didn't like the idea of outsiders getting their hands on the family property.  It still works that way in some areas of the world today.  It's always about the money.

[IATIA]

In and of itself, I take no issue with it. Live and let live. However, the problem I see with it is that it becomes socially acceptable and starts to run amuck and the number of children from these couplings will create issues for all.

[Whateverist]

Brother and sister? No problem. Hey, bang your dad if you like. Marry him too if it makes you happy. In regard to my own mum I'd have to comment as Beccs did. Not my cup of tea but hey, they don't all have to be.

[Tiberius]

If you want to challenge it, be my guest.  I'm too old.

That's irrelevant, the question was whether you thought it should be illegal. You've stated it should be because of complications with procreation, and when I pointed out that marriage isn't about procreation, you simply responded that it's currently illegal in all states. My only conclusion is that you believe that incest should be illegal because it's already illegal. That's not really a rational argument that I'd expect from you Min, and I'm disappointed that don't seem to have a response to my challenge (without resorting to tradition and current laws, why should siblings be prohibited from marrying?).

BTW, you'll be proving the christards right when they said gay marriage would open the doors to polygamy, bestiality and incest.

I don't really care. In the past when they brought it up my standard response was "so what?" anyway. I'd rather let them be right than compromise the integrity of my arguments. If we use an argument for gay marriage but then use it against incestuous marriage, we are just as bad as the anti-gay bigots.

Oh, and as others have pointed out, bestiality does not involve consenting parties, so it's an entirely different issue (comparable with child marriages).

[Losty]

In and of itself, I take no issue with it. Live and let live. However, the problem I see with it is that it becomes socially acceptable and starts to run amuck and the number of children from these couplings will create issues for all.

I don't think it matters if it's socially acceptable. Most people have a natural aversion to sex with anyone they were raised with, not limited to biological siblings. I have seen this in my personal experiences and I'm pretty sure there's a link somewhere I'll search for it tomorrow.

[robvalue]

Yes, I think they should be able to get married. I don't consider this the same issue as having children, which is more complex, and to which I'd have to think harder about. I'd probably still say it's OK for them to have children, though. There are plenty of people I wouldn't want to see have children for all sorts of reasons, but I don't think this is enough of a threat to warrant taking that decisions away from people.

Marriage is neither a promise nor an invitation to sex. People can and do have sex when they are not married, and it's unfair to assume that because two people get married they intend to have children. I don't see it as an "endorsement" of incestuous children at all, whether or not that is something to be discouraged.

I don't know how the law handles incest. Are you punished for the act of sexual intercourse with a sibling? (Consenting adults.) What happens if a child is born? Are they allowed to raise it and... what's the alternative, someone has to raise it, unless you destroy it.

[Alex K]

I'm with Tibs, A, I don't think producing children is a good idea, but getting married has little to do with that according to the modern concept of marriage.