Does the GOVERNMENT have a RIGHT to deny SEX to people because they are COUSINS?

Question

OKAY people are saying I can't have sex with my cousin because its illegal. BUT I thought it was just illegal to MARRY HIM. HOW can the government step in and say HEY YOU CAN"T DO THAT if we're both adults and both want to? I mean, couldn't even a BROTHER and a SISTER have sex if they want?

I'm not talking RIGHT and WRONG on a moral level anymore, I'm wondering WHY the government has a say in who people have SEX with.

Besides...HOW would they FIND OUT??

Answer 1

...guessing...Arkansas?

Answer 2

It is illegal to marry anyone closer than 3rd cousin in most states. And all but a couple of states still have the law that it is illegal to have sex outside of the bonds of marriage, it just isn't inforced anymore. The reason for this is because of the possible birth defects that can occur when 2 people with such a close genetic match have a child, the "bad" genes are intensified and cause even more problems with the child.

As for governing morality, they can't. It's impossible. Just think about what kind of life you would be "cursing" your child with if there was one.

Answer 3

Government doesn't have rights, it has powers. A state legislature can make a law for just about anything it wants to. Of course, a court of law might come along and declare that the law is void, but who knows what the courts will or won't do on a question like yours.

Finding out about who has been having sex with who is indeed going to be very difficult. I guess it would be investigated primarily because someone else in the family knows about it and informs the authorities.

Answer 4

It's similar to the government controlling what substances you put in your body or how fast you can drive - some people say it's for safety reasons, others say the government is just trying to controll all aspects of our lives. Repeated procreation between relatives minimizes genetic diversity and will likely cause birth defects eventually. That is why it's illegal. But if both of you want to have sex with each other and you don't plan on having kids, there shouldn't be any problems. I would keep it on the down-low just in case, but, as you pointed out, unless you're doing it in front of City Hall with name tags on that say "Hi, I'm his/her cousin," no one would find out.
Just be careful - remember you'll have to be around this guy for the rest of your life at family functions, etc.

Answer 5

It's against the law for people of the same family, including brother and sister relations, to be sexually intimate. It's against the law because of the genetic defects that could result in the production of a child.

No matter how much birth control you use, there's still that minor possibility that you can get pregnant from having sex, and the governments wants to prevent redneck hillbillies from procreating and disturbing the gene pool. As it is, when we marry and procreate with people, the chance of a recessive gene is far less than if you were to procreate with that of your "own blood".

Recessive genes, as I said before, lead to genetic defects when they're combined too often.

The government has a right to deny you sex with your cousin, because they're looking out for human generations, preventing hillbillies like you from screwing up the genetics of people. Why do you think we have mentally challenged kids? Why do you think we have hemophiliacs and children with muscular distrophy?

Sure, maybe they wouldn't find out, go ahead and screw up the gene pool, you selfish, sick, twit.

Answer 6

Okay, it's incest. He's family, blood, the child of your mother's sibling. They could have sex in theory without the police finding out, but the law restricting it is based on morals. There have got to be other people out there you find attractive if you feel you have to have sex with a family member. Also, inbreeding can increase the severity of diseases, not to mention support backward thought. The government is supporting the morals of our society by restricting it. Since we live in this country, they can restrict whatever it wants. You do have the right to protest it. So if you want to start a Pro-Incest campaign, good luck.

Answer 7

In some countries, marrying a cousin is not considered illegal. In Western countries, this is considered equivalent to incest. They could not find out if you have sex in secrecy unless you discuss it with someone. I personally wouldn't have sex with my relatives (including cousins), but I cannot come up with an answer to your question what right the government has.

Answer 8

If those people are really determined to have sex, they could have sex. It is against the laws. It is endangering a possible child (if the women got pregnant cause of the sex), because often times the offspring of cousins having sex, or brother and sister, are more likely to have mental illness, physical mutalations, etc.

Answer 9

It is illegal for genetic reasons. Brother and sisters and cousins who marry are more likely to have children with genetic problems.... Hemophilia was very prominent in royal families in the 19th century because royals only intermarried with other royals. Idiocy or low IQ is another problem with children of cousins or brothers and sisters who marry. So, you see, it doesn't just affect you and your cousin.... Something to think about before you have sex with your cousin...

Answer 10

The idea is that laws are intended to reflect the values of society. So if society doesn't like the idea of cousins having sex, a law is made prohibiting it. Of course many people also don't like the idea of unnecessary restriction of freedom, but whatever.
Of course such a law isn't likely to be applied unless you do it in a police station and have a particularly strong family resemblance.

Answer 11

It's a law on the books here, that's what gives them the right. Many European countries don't outlaw it.

The problem is that if children are produced from the sexual act between first cousins they run a higher risk of birth defects. I believe that was the primary reason the law was placed on the books in the first place.