Signing the marriage contract in Pakistan[/caption]Leanne Jenkins----Pakistan and India still practice first cousin marriages in defiance of scientific evidence indicating mental and physical deformities that are more prevalent in this type of marriage than those without such relationship. The controversy exists not just between cultural groups but also among the people of those regions, as the practice continues to raise important questions.
“Marry my first cousin? Never,” said an East Indian man who acknowledges it remains customary in many areas of India. “India still has that practice, but it is far more prevalent in Pakistan.” The business owner of an Indian restaurant in Portland, Oregon wishes to be anonymous for fear of argument with family members, which still takes place in his household.
A study at the University of Leeds led by investigative researcher, Eamonn Sheridan, studied the health data of 13,500 babies born in Bradford, calling the research by the title “Born in Bradford” as it examined babies born between 2007 and 2011 at the city's main hospital. 18% of these babies for whom family backgrounds had been gathered, a total of 11, 396, were of Pakistani backgrounds. The study found that three percent of the babies, or 386, had birth defects of some sort that include problems with nervous, digestive or respiratory systems as well as urinary and genital defects and cleft palates. The rate of these was nearly twice the national average.
The conclusion of these researchers was that first cousin marriages presents the risk of birth abnormalities in much higher percentages than the normal population.
Even as people question first cousin marriages in the West and find it abhorrent, and many Pakistanis avoid entering into these marriages, it does have its defenders. Dr. Faheem Younus, self described as Muslim, professor, doctor and philanthropist. In refuting the contention that first cousin marriages should be prohibited because of genetic risks he says, “The risk of birth defects in children born to first cousins is increased from a baseline of 3-4 percent to 4-7 percent according to the National Society of Genetic Councilors (NSGC). In this modern age, this risk could be mitigated by mandating -- as the State of Maine has done -- pre-marital genetic testing. The NSGC, however, considers the risk to be so insignificant that it does not recommend additional testing or screening. “
Still others believe that those who denounce first cousin marriages do so in order to impose their religion or culture on others.
Great Britain's population of Pakistanis is seen to have a significant problem with birth defects, creating a significant cultural issue in this East- West difference in the culture of marriage. Britain, like other Western countries, have established laws against first cousin marriages, even as many people in their countries of origin continue to deny there are any significant risks to offspring either at birth or in adulthood.
even worse than first cousin marriages would be FORCED marriage to those cousins, a crime which appears to happen all too often in the Pakistani communities especially...
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely correct, Hans. They are often forced.
ReplyDelete