marrying first cousins?

[canadiandesigirl]

Re: marrying first cousins?

@_Passionate

Most women are referred to genetic counselors after they have gotten pregnant. A genetic counselor will tell you the risk of your child having Down’s based on the tests and your family history. If you tell them you are married to your first cousin, they WILL tell you that your risk is extremely high. There is no other way around it. Most people don’t even opt for an amniocentesis after their results because of the risks involved. And if you are one to believe that it’s all up to God, then it’s really pointless to go to a genetic counselor. And if you do get an amnio and find out your child has Down’s or another genetic abnormality, what are you going to do? Abort the pregnancy? Most people won’t. Divorce your first cousin? Not have anymore children?

I don’t know why our people get so offended when the first cousin marriage issue comes up. Yes we know Allah hasn’t forbidden it, but that doesn’t mean that if someone is against it that they are against God. The world has a population of 7 billion people and about 2 billion of them are muslims. You can find someone to marry that is not your first cousin or related to you at all.

From what I remember from school/uni Downs is associated with mothers age and the quality of her eggs. As she gets older the quality of eggs deteriorates hence the higher risk at older age. There may very well be a predisposition if there is family history.

Passo, I don’t think anyone is saying if one doesn’t personally want to get married to a cousin they are defying Allah (SWT) naouzbillah. I personally wouldn’t either. I just think people should make informed choices.

Yes, there is a genetic component to cardiovascular disease but its extremely common in South Asians so doesn’t matter if someone is your cousin or not. Since when do people inquire about diabetes and hypertension before getting married?