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Marrying cousins and paying the price
British Pakistanis more likely to have children with genetic disorders
 An estimated 55% of British Pakistanis are married to first cousins and, therefore, 13 times more at risk than other Britons of genetic disorders.
| I knew it was common. I didn't know it was over half. That explains so much... |
This has prompted a Labour Party member of parliament to call for a ban on British Pakistanis against marrying first cousins.
| Why not just make it a ban on anybody marrying a first cousin? |
âWe have to stop this tradition of first cousin marriages,â Keighley MP Ann Cryer told BBCâs Newsnight. Her basic argument is that marrying someone who is a close family member carries a risk for children - a risk that lies within the code of life; within our genes. Communities that practice cousin marriage experience higher levels of some very rare but very serious illnesses - illnesses known as recessive genetic disorders. Mrs Cryer believes an open debate on the subject is needed because - despite the risks - cousin marriage remains very popular.
| That must be because marrying your sister or your Mom is outlawed even in Pakistan. First cousin is the next best thing. |
Her constituency is in the Bradford area, where the rates of cousin marriage a well above the national average. It is estimated that three out of four marriages within Bradfordâs Pakistani community are between first cousins.
| I guess they don't want to share those genes with anyone... |
The practice remains so popular because the community believes there are real benefits to marrying in the family. Many British Pakistanis celebrate cousin marriage because it is thought to generate more stable relationships. Such unions are seen as strong, building as they do on already tight family networks. âYou have an understanding,â explained Neila Butt, who married her first cousin, Farooq, nine years ago. âFamily events are really nice because my in-laws and his are related,â she said. âYou have the same family history and when you talk about the old times either here or in Pakistan you know who you are talking about. It is just a nicer emotional feel.â
| It's gotta be a cultural thing. I've never hard the urge to jump a close relative. |
But the statistics for recessive genetic illness in cousin marriages make sobering reading. British Pakistanis are 13 times more likely to have children with genetic disorders than the general population - they account for just over 3% of all births but have just under a third of all British children with such illnesses. Indeed, Birmingham Primary Care Trust estimates that one in ten of all children born to first cousins in the city either dies in infancy or goes on to develop serious disability as a result of a recessive genetic disorder.
Posted by: Fred 2005-11-18 |
