United States | All in the family

Cousin marriage is probably fine in most cases

It is also illegal in 25 American states

Illustration of a couple kissing with similar features in a sea of DNA ribbons.
Illustration: Ryan Gillett
|WASHINGTON, DC

IT JUST SEEMED so wrong. In January Nick Wilson, a Kentucky state legislator who achieved reality-TV fame for winning “Survivor” in 2018, created a frenzy on social media when he sponsored a bill that removed “first cousin” from the list of incestuous family relations. Mr Wilson said that the omission was a mistake and the bill was quickly withdrawn. The new draft put “first cousin” back on the list of criminal sexual relations, alongside parent, sibling, grandchild and other blood relatives.

Explore more

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “All in the family”

The right goes gaga: Meet the Global Anti-Globalist Alliance

From the February 17th 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from United States

Kamala Harris introduces “Coach” Tim Walz, her trusty running-mate

As Republicans seek to brand their rivals as dangerously liberal, Democrats are matching Donald Trump’s public displays of enthusiasm

Why Kamala Harris picked Tim Walz as her running-mate

Compared with a bolder but more divisive alternative, the Minnesota governor was the easier choice


Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump in our nationwide poll tracker

It is the first lead for a Democratic contender since October 2023


Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history

Her triumphant comeback at the Paris Olympics confirms her as also one of the most popular

Why do conservatives in America love Zyn?

A nicotine pouch has stimulated America’s young men—and the culture wars