Fierce Public Backlash in the UK Forces NHS to Remove Study on First-Cousin Marriage Benefits

The United Kingdom’s National Health Service has come under fire for potentially approving cultural sensitivity over scientific concerns after it published a report questioning a major issue of public

debate — should first-cousin marriages be banned? Due to fierce public backlash, the study was removed a week after NHS staff in Bradford described marrying a cousin as a “cultural practice”. Experts have warned that marrying a first cousin carries tremendous health risks, which include a higher chance of children inheriting recessive genetic disorders and conditions like cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, or thalassaemia. Earlier this year, the debate on this issue had garnered steam after Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would not ban the practice outright - despite known risks to future generations, as children born from first cousins are at increased risk for life-threatening diseases. Starmer, along with members of his Labour government, argues that education should be prioritized instead of overreaching government mandates.

What does the report say?

The research, which was posted to the NHS’s Genomics Education Program's website, was titled, Should the UK government ban first-cousin marriage? According to British media outlets, the article caused a lot of uproar after it suggested "there were certain benefits to first-cousin marriages, which include "stronger extended family support systems and economic advantages," as reported by the Telegraph. The NHS report also noted that inter-family marriages have "long been the subject of scientific discussion" due to the increased risk of many inherited diseases, and that first-cousin marriages have been legal in the UK since the 1500s, when King Henry VIII married Catherine Howard, his ex-wife’s cousin. According to the report, there are risks of genetic issues that are also related to external factors like the use of alcohol and smoking in pregnancy. None of these factors is banned in the UK, says the report. "Genetic counseling, awareness-raising initiatives and public health campaigns are all important tools to help families make informed decisions without stigmatizing certain communities and cultural traditions," the article added, according to the Telegraph.

Health Secretary calls for an apology

British Health Secretary Wes Streeting has called for an apology on the issue of the NHS report. “The first I heard of this was when I saw that report. I asked immediately, ‘What on earth is going on here and what are they playing at?’ The advice has been taken down, but why was it ever there in the first place? Medical science and evidence are clear,” Streeting told LBC radio. “First-cousin marriages are high risk and unsafe, we see the genetic defects it causes, the harm that it causes,” Streeting added.