Engaged couple discover they are brother and sister just before wedding

[Slargos]

I think he was taking issue with the implied part of your statement that if they had grown up as brother and sister then there would be a problem.

Yup. I see this as a consenting adults thing. If one does not care about the genetic defects of potential offspring (as Max apparently doesn't) then as long as both parties are consenting, there is no reason to differentiate between a situation where they grew up together and where they didn't.

The yuck factor should not inform the legal or moral judgement of other people's sexual habits.

I read Max's post as "Since they weren't raised as brother and sister they will not have developed the natural instinct to not fuck eachother so there's no problem". I guess if I simply work from the assumption that Max is a rational individual and I don't need to look for reasons to expect the absolute worst of him every time he makes a statement that is in any way ambiguous.

[garbon]

I think he was taking issue with the implied part of your statement that if they had grown up as brother and sister then there would be a problem.

Yup. I see this as a consenting adults thing. If one does not care about the genetic defects of potential offspring (as Max apparently doesn't) then as long as both parties are consenting, there is no reason to differentiate between a situation where they grew up together and where they didn't.

The yuck factor should not inform the legal or moral judgement of other people's sexual habits.

Perhaps, although I wonder to what extent that consent would be informed by underlying power dynamics between family members.

[Ideologue]

Princesca and I are 13th cousins as the most distant possible relation.  I would guess most people of similar ethnic descent to their spouse are that close or closer--our common ancestor was a North Carolina planter named Needham Dees who lived in the late 18th century.

Neat.  I actually would have guessed the average was closer, though.  Maybe in these days of high mobility I was underestimating how many people one is likely to meet.

I think the effects of inbreeding are often grossly exaggerated for whatever reason.  I think it takes multiple instances over successive generations to produce dudes like that trapjawed Spanish king with the Jay Leno chin.

Yeah. And if you consider that for a moment, criminalizing breeding of consenting adults because of a potential risk of genetic defects for the offspring seems quite monstrous by modern human rights standards (that's eugenics pure and simple).

Not really.  Nazis and Americans gave eugenics a bad name, is all.

Perhaps, although I wonder to what extent that consent would be informed by underlying power dynamics between family members.

Indeed.  This is the more important reason to worry about incest (although of course cases such as these pose the exception).

[Maximus]

The yuck factor should not inform the legal or moral judgement of other people's sexual habits.

I specifically said it should not be a problem for anyone else. How then could there be a legal or moral judgement?

[Caliga]

Ide, I would guess we're more closely related than that... that's just the closest relationship I could find.

[Valmy]

Has anyone here ever gone to the trouble of finding out how closely related they are to their sexual partners?  I'm not much into genealogy.  Cal?

I did.  My wife and I have a common ancestor in the 17th century so we are 10th some odd cousins.

[Maximus]

Didn't find a common ancestor, but Meri's ancestors and mine lived in 2 nearby towns in Connecticut in the 17th century.

[fhdz]

I have read that too.  In the article posted in the OP.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Has anyone here ever gone to the trouble of finding out how closely related they are to their sexual partners?  I'm not much into genealogy.  Cal?

I didn't check on the account of a very low risk of inbreeding.

If fanfiction has taught us anything its that you shouldn't count on that.

[Razgovory]

I'm proud to have read any fan fiction, or any fiction primarily concerned with fans, wind turbines, windmills or ventilators in general.

[Eddie Teach]

I'm proud to have read any fan fiction, or any fiction primarily concerned with fans, wind turbines, windmills or ventilators in general.

Which works in particular have inspired you?

[Razgovory]

I'm proud to have read any fan fiction, or any fiction primarily concerned with fans, wind turbines, windmills or ventilators in general.

Which works in particular have inspired you?

I meant 'Never read any fan fiction', funny how leaving one word out changes the meaning of a whole sentence.

[Eddie Teach]

Not even Don Quixote? 

[Razgovory]

Not even Don Quixote? 

Can't read Spanish.

[The Brain]

Not even Don Quixote?