We all are well aware of the cousin marriage problems, which are indeed life-threatening for newborn babies. According to a study, cousin marriage doubles the risk of babies being born with genetic birth effects. It also increases the rate of death among newborn children. Cousin wedding should be discouraged among families, and people should be educated about its side effects.

Cousin Marriage Side Effects

Marrying your cousin is not a good idea because inbreeding can cause harmful genetic conditions. Following are some of the most common cousin marriage side effects:

• Genetic Diseases
• Hearing Loss
• Eye Diseases
• Neonatal Diabetes
• Limb Malformation
• Schizophrenia
• Blindness
• Disorder of Sex Development

A panel of experts at the Children’s Hospital gave a statement regarding cousin marriage problems which was published in an article by Dawn News. They said that cousin marriage should be discouraged on a large scale as children suffering from various genetic diseases, like Lysosomal Storage Disorder (LSD), is on the rise all over the country.

Why is Cousin Wedding not a Good Idea?

Cousin marriage or inbreeding is a bad idea. It is because of the life threats it imposes on the next generation. A happy couple expects to have a healthy baby, but inbreeding can destroy that dream.
The risk of having a baby through inbreeding has diverse effects on th3 heart or nervous system problems. It can be minimal to fatal in some cases. There are about 90 more baby deaths than anticipated in the Pakistani community in England and Wales, and that is because of congenital disabilities or birth defects of inbreeding. There is a direct relation between consanguineous marriage and genetic diseases.
However, this issue is sensitive to address because marriage within families is an established cultural tradition, and people get offended when told otherwise.

Cousin Wedding Effects on DNA

The same DNA is proportionate to the same diseases. It is explained as that a human being is made up of 46 chromosomes. 23 chromosomes are taken from the father, and 23 chromosomes are taken from the mother. It means that a normal baby will have 2 sets of genes from which it can take up its own. However, in the case of inbreeding, the baby gets the same sets of chromosomes. It can lead to weak immunity, a weak nervous system, and a weak heart.

It is because if one of the parents has a bad gene, the other can overcome it by dominating their good genes. But cousin marriage problems include less possibility of this happening. If one has bad genes, the other has it too, and it will get multiplied in their offspring.

Law Against Cousin Wedding

Due to the adverse effects of cousin marriages, about 24 states have laws that forbid people to marry their first cousins. Some of them also put together a genetic counsel that can help people understand problems of cousin marriages. Moreover, 20 to 60 percent of marriages around the globe are between biological relatives, which has given a high rise to birth defects and untimely death of children.
Also, the children of cousin marriages are tested as newborns for deafness and other diseases. Such conditions are more likely to occur in children whose parents are cousins, so they need to be tested at a very early stage. Some of these conditions are treatable with medicine and lifestyle adaptation, but severe conditions often take the child’s life.

Pakistan’s Medical Society on Cousin Marriages

The chairman of the Pakistan Medical Society, Dr. Masood Akhter Sheikh, said that cousin marriages should be discouraged in our society. According to his statement, the chances of a genetic disorder by marrying a first cousin were high but marrying a second or distant cousin also imposes the same risks. Therefore, educating people about the harmful effects of cousin marriage is necessary, and the government should provide better and more transparent genetic screening services to the people of the country. Newly married couples should also take genetic counseling to know and reduce all the risks of genetic diseases in their children.

Conclusion

Marrying your cousins, particularly your first cousin is very harmful for your future generation. Families should be given proper counseling and knowledge before they decide to carry on this tradition in our society. Cousin marriage problems can be life-threatening for babies and they should not be taken lightly.

F.A. Qs

1- What are the side effects of cousin marriages?

Cousin marriages have multiple side effects, including:

• Eye Diseases
• Neonatal Diabetes
• Limb Malformation
• Schizophrenia
• LSD

2- Are cousin marriages allowed in Islam?

Cousin marriages are not forbidden in Islam. However, it is advised to refrain from them if possible. There are also some references that tell that first cousin marriages are not appreciated, and one should refrain from them.

3- Why is cousin marriage dangerous?

Cousin marriages are dangerous because of the life-threatening risks it imposes on newborn babies. The newborn baby can be born with many genetic disorders that can cost it its life or can make it abnormal throughout its life.

4- Are there any benefits of cousin marriages?

So far, cousin marriage only imposes threats on the health of a baby. No one would want their fragile baby to suffer as nothing good comes out of it.

If you want to know more information about cousin marriage problems, then visit https://www.marham.pk/doctors/karachi/gynecologist and book your appointment with the best gynecologists in Karachi today.

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