Wednesday, June 5, 2013

This is a Tricky Grey Area: Kissing Cousins

One of the ongoing plots through Arrested Development is George Michael's crush on his cousin Maeby. There are plenty of ethical concerns about a romantic relationship between these two, but if they hooked up would it legally be incest?

The answer can be found on this handy page of the NCSL (National Conference of State Legislatures, not National Cousin Sexy Lovin') which shows that California allows first cousin marriage. California's incest law defines incest as being between parties that are too closely related to marry. So, as long as they stay in California, they could technically hook up.

The laws against cousin marriage tend to be focused on concerns over interbreeding leading to genetic defects in children. This is why a few states, like Arizona, only allow cousins to marry if they are both older than 65, past childbearing age. The fact that Maeby and George Michael are not blood relatives would alleviate these issues. Personally, I still think it's a bad idea. Christmas with the family is awkward enough, imagine having to spend it with your ex-boyfriend too?

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