(November 26, 2018 at 9:56 am)Jörmungandr Wrote: Here's something I found that is relevant.
Quote:Because of the potential risks, couples that are closely related are often advised to see a genetic counselor. The genetic counselor can figure out if they are both carriers of a disease. And then the couple can weigh the risks.
If siblings that want to have sex see a genetic counselor and confirm that they are not going to pass on any recessive diseases, is it then okay? A related question. We generally consider it ethically questionable to abort a late term fetus because of abnormalities, and many children with birth defects are raised by parents who are happy to have them. These children don't necessarily have terrible lives. Who are we to say that having sex that may result in a child with long term challenges to its survival is wrong? We don't euthanize such children. Should we?
But a genetic counselor is not always present, they are limited to wealthy regions and modern times, to so many -if not a majority of humans; even- a genetic doctor is a luxury. That's why mainly certain actions like this one are absolutely wrong.
