On the gay marriage premise of two consenting adults, what prevents immediate family members from marrying?

Question

as in a brother and sister OR a parent and their adult offspring.

(serious question)

Incest??? Once again, if the law changes to accomodate two consenting adults, would it NOT be unfair to deny two adult siblings the same rights as two adult homosexuals?

aka - legal precedent -
`

- accommodate - (above)

Answer 1

Incest can result in genetic abnormalities. The concepts are entirely different. Gay couples can’t reproduce therefore such genetic abnormalities wouldn't be a factor.

Answer 2

While I find the very thought of incest repugnant (which is a biological response we've evolved for our protection) I actually DO NOT think the government should be able to restrict a contract between two consenting adults. What I do think they should be able to do, however, is ensure that the consensual relationship does no harm to others. Even the unborn. Hence I think that immediate family members SHOULD in fact be able to get married, I just think they should both have to undergo permanent sterilization beforehand. They could then adopt if they wanted kids, or freeze ova/sperm before the procedure for surrogate birth, just like gays do. This allows them the right to live as they see fit without endangering the gene pool or directly harming their children.

Answer 3

Just the law is all .
Everything works the same in a sexual relationship with family members . Straight , gay , or bisexual it is all done to get a nut or feel closer . If you where ship wrecked on a deserted Island and only two daughters and a son survived what do you think would happen . ..
In five hundred years the island would have many inhabitants provided that food was abundant and no natural enemies existed .

Answer 4

is that a problem in the gay community? brothers wanting brothers and sisters wanting sisters? if so, I've never heard about it.

heterosexual contact between family members can lead, as I'm sure you know, to damaged offspring, but m/m, f/f, and m/f are all incestuous and gross.

Are you trying to get to some anti-gay marriage conclusion via some bizarre comparison to incest? if so ask what you really want to say.

Answer 5

i watched a recent documentary on women living in polygamy. it consisted of interviews with these women, one made the statement that soon they would be able to be considered legitimate as soon as gays were allowed marriage, that it would open the door for their relationships to have legal status. it is indeed a slippery slope when the minority feels that the majority should be made to accept their alternate live style as 'normal'. she further stated that is was no one business as long as consenting adults agreed to the 'marriage' that was all that was required and that the so called normals were violating their civil rights in denying them these sanctions.

if one choses an alternative life style that is their business but when they ask society to sanction it, then it is our business. IMO

Answer 6

A little item called consanguinity.
In fact, its unknown how many brothers and sisters live as married, when was the last time you asked to see your neighbors marriage license?
The difference is that you don't need to be married to have your brother or mother on your insurance forms. As next of kin they would be allowed anyway in hospitals. Non related partners have no such rights.

Answer 7

The laws of many U.S. states recognize two separate degrees of incest, the more serious being the closest blood relationships, such as father and daughter, mother and son, and brother and sister, with the less serious charge being pressed against more distantly related individuals who engage in sexual intercourse, usually to and including first cousins and sometimes half-cousins.

Answer 8

Mental retardation is a very, very likely result of in- breeding. Incest is illegal because of the small gene pool. If you mate with people in your own immediate family - i.e your sister or mother or father then your genes are too similar and there is a really high chance any offspring will be mentally challenged. This is the reason it is illegal. Plus it is morally wrong in my book!

Answer 9

Incest in this country is regulated through two parallel sets of laws: marriage regulations and criminal prohibitions. Marriage laws prohibit unions of parties within certain relationships of consanguinity (by blood) or affinity (by marriage). They declare such marriages void from the start.

Criminal laws prohibit marriage and sexual relationships based on the same ties (with the necessary consanguinity and affinity usually defined the same way as in the marriage laws). They penalize those who disobey with fines or imprisonment.

Every state today has a statute defining eligibility for marriage, and each and every one prohibits marriages between parents and children, sisters and brothers, uncles and nieces, and aunts and nephews. Some prohibit all ancestor/descendant marriages, regardless of degree. Four states extend the prohibition to marriages between parents and their adopted children.

Twenty-four states prohibit marriages between first cousins, and another seven permit them only under special circumstances. Utah, for example, permits first cousins to marry only provided both spouses are over age 65, or at least 55 with evidence of sterility. North Carolina permits first cousins to marry unless they are "double first cousins" (cousins through more than one line). Maine permits first cousins to marry only upon presentation of a certificate of genetic counseling. The remaining nineteen states and the District of Columbia permit first-cousin marriages without restriction.

Answer 10

Two ELIGIBLE consenting adults. The laws which prevent family members from marrying are already on the books. As you well know.

Geez.

Like there's not REAL problems out there to talk about?

Pretty lame.