A US state is enforcing new rules on marrying a first cousin, and it all depends on how familiar the couple is with each other.
Americans may not know that it’s completely legal to marry relatives – if you live in certain states.
Americans may not know it’s legal to marry first-cousins in some states (stock)[/caption]
However, in Connecticut, it’s becoming illegal to knowingly marry a first cousin under a new law that comes into effect on October 1.
Previously, cousins were still able to wed, while it was illegal to marry your parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, stepchild, or stepparent.
Now, cousins are added to the list – unless a currently married couple is unknowingly related.
State Representative Devin Carney, a Republican, was the legislator who first introduced the bill.
He said he was made aware of the controversial rules after seeing that Tennessee had recently banned first-cousin marriages.
“I was told it’s not banned in Connecticut, so I started looking into it, and over 30 states do ban it, and Connecticut is not one of them,” he told the Connecticut Post.
Democratic State Representative Steve Stafstrom clarified that the law comes with no penalties, meaning marrying a cousin isn’t a punishable offense.
However, he urged people to look at the potential dangers of procreating with relatives as he touted the new rule change.
“We looked at it and saw we were sort of an outlier state that didn’t ban it,” he said.
“Science shows that procreation between first cousins increases the chances of birth defects.
“We also didn’t want to penalize or jeopardize any marriages that occurred when it was legal.”
To get married in Connecticut, lovers need to be unmarried and not in a conservatorship that requires consent for marriage.
Where is first-cousin marriage legal?
States Where Marrying a First Cousin is Legal
- Alabama
- Alaska
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina (with an exception for “double first cousins”)
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Vermont
- Virginia
States Where Marrying a First Cousin is Legal with Restrictions
- Arizona: Permitted if both individuals are 65 or older, or if one person is infertile.
- Illinois: Permitted if both individuals are 50 or older, or if one person is infertile.
- Indiana: Permitted if both individuals are 65 or older.
- Maine: Permitted if the couple obtains a physician’s certificate for genetic counseling.
- Utah: Permitted if both individuals are 65 or older, or if both are 55 and can prove one person’s infertility to a court.
- Wisconsin: Permitted if the woman is 55 years old or older, or if either party is infertile.
States Where Marrying a First Cousin is Illegal
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
STATES LEGALIZING COUSIN MARRIAGE
Currently, Americans living in 27 states can marry their first cousins, but many laws come with added stipulations.
Several states impose an age limit that makes it easier for older people to marry or stay married to cousins.
And in some states, gay and lesbian people can technically marry their cousins, as there’s no qualifier for same-sex marriages that makes it illegal.
In New England, first-cousin marriage is also banned in New Hampshire.
However, in Maine, it’s permitted as long as the couple obtains a “certificate of genetic counseling by a physician.”
Other states where the act is legal include Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia.
Meanwhile, another bizarre new law threatens shoppers with $10,000 fines if they break a self-checkout rule.
And a salary rule will slap employers with $25,000 fines if they break it.
