Florida fails to pass bill banning first-cousin marriages

[Baitball Blogger]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Senate failed to pass a bill that would have prohibited residents from marrying their first cousins.

The bill, HB733, sought to end the state’s recognition of incestuous marriages starting in July 2026.

Florida is still among the states where marrying a first cousin is legal. The legislation seeks to bring the state in line with the majority of the United States, which has already prohibited the practice.

The proposed legislation outlined particular family relationships that would be prohibited under the new law.

A man would be forbidden from marrying his sister, aunt, niece, or any woman related to him through direct bloodlines.

The law specified that a woman could not marry her brother, uncle, nephew, or any man related to her by direct bloodline.

If the bill had passed, Florida would not have recognized these marriages for any purpose.

https://www.wftv.com/news/local/florida-fails-pass-bill-banning-first-cousin-marriages/7QINTW4IKJALNMS4KWGGYD6KTE/

[flvegan]

1. Duh. Can't have the Florida MAGA breed die out, can we? n/t

[lindysalsagal]

2. Allow me to be the first to say...All together now:

Of course, it's FLORIDA.

[edhopper]

3. Why would the Republican legislators

vote against their own marriages?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. 18 states allow marriage between first cousins, including California, New York, Massachusetts and Colorado.

Two more allow it with requirements, and three more, including Minnesota and Illinois it, ban it but there are exceptions.

[W_HAMILTON]

10. When did those states last vote against banning it?

[sarisataka]

13. If it has been a long time

why haven't they voted to ban such marriages?

[W_HAMILTON]

17. Because there are lots of outdated laws on the books.

Florida deemed that this was a significant enough issue to warrant taking up now -- and then voted it down.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

15. which states?

[W_HAMILTON]

18. The non-Florida ones you just brought up in a post about Florida's recent actions.

[ForgedCrank]

12. Dang I

thought this was already illegal everywhere. what the heck?

[onenote]

5. Before too many DUers embarrass themselves: First cousin marriage is legal in CA, NY, Mass, to name just a few states

[W_HAMILTON]

11. When did those states last vote against banning it?

[lame54]

6. That means there would be a shortage of...

Florida Men
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Man

[Luz]

7. Florida gonna Florida I guess 🤷

[Buckeyeblue]

8. Is it that high of a risk genetically?

While you share grandparents, you are equally related to a grandparent as you are aunt/uncle. I think if a family made it a habit there could be issues but I don't think it's as big of a deal as people make it out to be.

It's interesting how distant we get genetically from grandparents and great grandparents. The genetic link waters down quickly.

[obamanut2012]

9. No, first cousin marriages do not affect offspring

[MineralMan]

16. That's true, of course.

But, see...it's icky and stuff. Eww!


I've known several couples who were first cousins, thanks to living in states where it's perfectly legal. Don't know of any problems, though.

[muriel_volestrangler]

23. It's thought it can become a problem if it's repeated

They found that even after factors like poverty were controlled for, a child of first cousins in Bradford had an 11% probability of being diagnosed with a speech and language problem, versus 7% for children whose parents are not related.

They also found a child of first cousins has a 54% chance of reaching a "good stage of development" (a government assessment given to all five year-olds in England), versus 64% for children whose parents are not related.
...
But crucially, Prof Oddie thinks the main risk to genetic health in Bradford is not cousin marriage, but a similar issue known as endogamy, in which people marry members of their close community. In a tight-knit ethnic group, people are more likely to share common ancestors and genes - whether or not they are first cousins, he says.

Endogamy is not unique to Pakistani communities in the UK. It is an issue too in the UK's Jewish community and globally among the Amish and also French Canadians.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c241pn09qqjo

[Wonder Why]

24. If they divorce, are they still cousins?

In Mississippi, they are still debating that issue about brother-sister marriages.

[Torchlight]

14. Ironic that given the content of the bill and its wording,

the legislation cannot be read or discussed in public FL schools under the very guidance they themselves enacted.

[Norrrm]

19. I have heard that some places allow it if the woman is way beyond child bearing age.

For hundreds/thousands of years, it has been understood to go steal women from other villages to get a bride.

The Habsburg Jaw
https://www.bing.com/search?q=habsburg%20jaw&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=-1&lq=0&pq=habsburg%20jaw&sc=12-12&sk=&cvid=B6F648A147E94E7D9AE809373E9FCD26

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

20. ..

[Intractable]

21. Forty years ago, I (a guy) had a crush on one of my female cousins.

I think she's a second cousin.

Recently, I confessed this to another family member.

She said, "You know that Julie is a lesbian, right?"

(Well, she wasn't forty years ago!)

[SocialDemocrat61]

22. Queen Victoria approves!