Incest involves perceived rewards over-riding risks

Caracci'spainting of Jupiter and Junon, incest of the Gods

Darlene went to school on Monday, and no one knew the secret she had kept for years. Now in high school at a time when other girls plan parties, giggle in groups about a new boyfriend, and share stories about adolescent yearnings, Darlene is left out of those innocent times. That's because her uncle had long ago taken away her girlhood dreams and left her only with fears that her future could never be anything but tragic. That's the pain of incest, but it's only part of the story that is seldom talked or written about that impacts the lives of many children and youth with negative effects that can be lifelong.



In antiquity it was considered natural, and encouraged, for a brother and sister to marry, in order to maintain the bloodline and the pureness of it. Ancient Egyptian royalty considered it important to marry siblings in order to keep the status of the family entrenched. The pattern of parent-child and sibling unions, however, was reserved primarily for royalty, as most cultures now and throughout history considered sexual relations with a close blood relative to be taboo. And even in those Western cultures where royalty did not practice sibling marriage, it was not uncommon for members of royalty to have married cousins, including first cousins.



The royalty of Egypt and of Spain, and other cultures, knew the downside of marrying close relatives but chose to ignore it. Charles I of Spain is a known example of the negative impact of marrying first cousins, as the Hapsburgs habitually had done. He had so many health problems that he had difficulty eating and could not walk until he was eight nor talk until he was four. He was also impotent and of unusually small stature.



Yet despite genetic problems that occurred for hundreds of years as a result of incest, royal families continued the practice for generations in virtually every culture. And the practice of marrying first cousins remains common in a number of countries such as India and Pakistan.



Why did the royals continue to practice incest when the genetic factors began to show disabilities in the offspring, a consequence of this practice? There were risks to marrying close relatives, however there were rewards as well. Some of these rewards are of the type still held dear by cultures that continue the practice of incestuous marriage.



Royalty has tremendous power, and in the minds of many they were like the gods. If the gods married each other, than it was reasonable that the royals would as well. They were apart from others because of their unique station. Incest was also a way of preserving assets in the family and maintaining the family status as well. So the rewards were of the nature to cause incest to be considered right and normal for the royals.



In countries like Pakistan and others where close relatives continue to marry one another, people often know the risks but are willing to assume them to maintain the need to protect assets and family integrity.



There are also subcultures among religious groups and special communities where incest is encouraged. The practice can continue for years, and the results of the abuse create lasting difficulties for generations of a family. These difficulties can be both psychological and physical and are either ignored or dealt with by closeting away the problem people or using them as victims sexually and forcing them to perform the menial tasks other family members don't want to perform.



A startling case in Australia shows the long-term nature of the problem of incest within a family. In fact people were astounded that the incest had been practiced for so long and so extensively in an inte-rgenerational family and that few knew or intervened to help the victims.



Inter-generational incest and child abuse that has dominated the lives of 40 members of one family for decades was uncovered in late 2013 as authorities finally acted on warnings that the children in the family were at risk. 11 children in this New South Wales community of around 2000 people have parents related to each other. And each of these children had suffered years of abuse from brothers, sisters, cousins, fathers, an uncle and a grandfather that took place over four generations.

Authorities had initially learned of the family in 2010 surrounding school attendance. By 2012 the family had been notified of the need to improve conditions for the children. Then in 2013 the children were removed, when the incest was discovered that involved 11 children that were products of sexual liaisons among closely related family members, including an uncle and grandfather. The children had been living in filthy conditions and were involved in sexual experimentation with one another.

Child sexual abuse occurs in all cultures and countries around the world. In most cases the perpetrator is a male, whether the victim is male or female. 30% of the children who have been sexually abused were victims of close family members such as brothers, fathers, uncles and first cousins. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that about 1 in 6 boys and 1 in 4 girls are sexually abused before reaching age 18.

The negative effects from the trauma of sexual abuse can be both physical and psychological. Long-term consequences include vulnerability to sexual acting out, depression, poor self esteem, chronic pain, disassociative behavior, criminality in adulthood and suicide.

When sexual relations occur between an adult and a child, most state laws and of many countries consider this to be child abuse. When it involves a close adult relative and a child it is incest and violates both the laws and taboos in most cultures. It causes pain and suffering, and too often the abuse incurs the kind of hurt that impacts entire families and communities and most of all the children, despite the perceived rewards of the perpetrators.

First cousin marriages produce conflicts within families, communitiesand cultural groups

[caption id="attachment_20396" align="alignleft" width="225"] 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.

Incest reflects the worst forms of child abuse and ignorance

[caption id="attachment_16206" align="alignleft" width="300"] Plague of Thebes, painting showing father Antiogne with daughter born of incest.[/caption]

Carol Forsloff — “When I have my baby, will it be my brother or sister or what?” The thirteen-year-old girl who asked that question did so at a time when abortion wasn’t an option. Those around her simply sat and stared without answers; for no one there at the time knew how to answer Becky.

Incest is a difficult topic, seldom written about in the mainstream press, except to report incidental, sensational cases where the criminal issues are reviewed. We also don’t talk much about incest, unless to make some foolish joke about it, as Vice President Dick Cheney once did, then apologized after being chastised by folks in West Virginia. Perhaps West Virginians didn’t want to be associated with this terrible abuse, and that was it. Or perhaps the topic simply isn’t funny.

While the media focuses on rape as a factor in abortion rights, and the positions of the politicians on the matter, incest remains one of those devastating problems that impact right to life. The GOP platform allows for no exceptions for rape or incest, giving rise to controversy on the nature of rape, but what of incest and the consequences to the victims'  lives in the present social and political climate?

US statistics  on rape show more than one third of reported cases involving young people under age 18. 80% of victims are adults and youth under age 30. Incest is most commonly an act of coercion, statutory rape if involving anyone under age 18.

I knew that thirteen-year-old girl, I'll call Becky, who had asked the questions about the child she was carrying. I learned of her while working as a graduate student intern many years ago. I never found out what happened to her, and one doesn't know for certain the long-term consequences she suffered. But if she survived those emotional scars, it's likely the matter would not be embraced happily. Becky was one of a number of girls in residential treatment for emotional problems, pregnant and being prepared by an agency to give birth and counseled to give the child up for adoption. On a New Year's eve, the question asked in a private counseling session had its response in a devastating episode. She had taken a razor blade and slashed her legs, screaming she no longer wanted to live while her horrified peers reacted by calling for help. Unsuccessful in a suicide attempt, plans continued for Becky to give birth as planned.

I never knew what happened to Becky, as I had moved from the area where the incident had happened soon after. But in working with adolescent girls over a period of 16 years, I learned that incest is more common than many would like to believe. Since most rape cases involve youth under age 18, and most involve a person known by the victim, it is likely that incest is far more widespread than statistical reports. And it is one of those cases that is a reminder of the suffering of victims of incest.

Experts tell us that only 50% of the offspring of incestuous unions are healthy. 20% have brain damage, and many of the rest have physical disabilities; and then they die. It’s also been found that 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 7 boys have been sexually abused by age 18. 95% of those who abuse girls are men, and 80% of those who abuse boys are men. Many cases involve incest or sexual intercourse between blood relatives, something which is forbidden by most cultures throughout history but that nevertheless is common enough to warrant concern. One researcher declared that: “Incest between an adult and a related child or adolescent is now recognized as the most prevalent form of child sexual abuse and as one with great potential for damage to the child.” (Courtois, 1988 p.12) It’s estimated that 38 million people in the United States have been victims of incest.

Health experts tell us that not only is incest a common form of abuse, it is the kind of abuse, that unlike rape, ordinarily follows a lengthy pattern, where a child, most often between the ages of 8 and 12, is subjected to repeated assaults.

In 2003, a landmark Supreme Court decision, Lawrence vs Texas, upheld the importance of privacy in sexual activities. This case involved gay rights but its conclusions have been used to contest the laws of the various states prohibiting incest. Thus the incest issue is the topic of the courts as well as social conscience. The hidden nature of the problem, and the legal complexities involved, has also been in recent news during the child custody cases in Texas with respect to polygamous groups.

Abortion rights now give victims and their families a choice, a choice that may vanish in the current political climate, where a political party platform allows for no exclusions on the matter of right to life.

Often the crime of incest is covered up, as the perpetrator will often talk about how the victim was compliant and the sex consensual.  The 1974 film “Chinatown” explored incest through its principal characters, Gittes and Evelyn, played by Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, who are lovers in the film. Evelyn has had a child from an incestuous relationship with her father. Her grief and confusion are reflected in her anguished cries that her child is both sister and daughter when she explains to Gittes what happened to her. The abusing father declares the sexual relationship with his daughter to have been consensual, a common excuse of the abuser, and tells Gittes: "Most people never have to face the fact that, at the right time and the right place, they're capable of anything."

Louisiana is one of those states that voted into law restrictive clauses that require parental consent for an abortion, or court order, and that restricts the use of state funds unless the pregnancy and birth would risk the life of the mother. This means that if the federal courts strike down Roe vs. Wade,  many victims will have no recourse, if public funds are not available, at a time when social welfare programs are being reduced and childcare support systems gutted. And the next Becky, if new laws on abortion allow for no exceptions and the federal statute is overturned, will have no alternative but to give birth to a child with a high likelihood of dying or having serious disabilities and both child and mother will potentially suffer a life of poverty and pain as a result.