MagiStream

I'm not really a fan of the practice... But I've been thinking lately. If it's between two consenting adults who agree not to have children... Is it really hurting anyone?

Please be honest but respectful in relaying your opinions.

Incest is generally frowned upon because in humans it can have very detremental effects. See most animals can go through a few generations of inbreeding with no ill effects, this is to ensure the survival of said species in hard times. Once more suitable and non related mates surface, the gene pool can be expanded ensuring there are no lasting effects from the inbreeding. With humans its different. We are so slewn in diseases and genetic disorders that a generation or two of inbreeding can cause mild to severe deformities and other health issues. It used to be seen as beneficial to inbreed in times of royalty and such to keep blood lines "pure" when similar things are applied to other animals trying to keep these blood lines "pure" we create animals with severe health issues because despite their ability to inbreed for a few generations, they are not meant to go through so many years and generations of it.

Now, we are no one to judge and while we have all been raised with the instinct that incest/inbreeding amongst ourselves is wrong, so long as the consenting adults know each others health history and ensure that they make the best and healthiest choices in their relationships I see nothing wrong. Should they be so closely related that their children come out with severe disorders, then there is nothing that can be done. Nature even in humans has a way of weeding out weakness and severe deformity and disorders in the offspring of inbred humans is a way to ensure this.

Very interesting and educated thoughts! Thank you for contributing!

As far as I'm concerned, so long as the pair is consenting and the chance of offspring is reduced as much as possible, it's fine. Even so, the dangers of deformities really only start becoming significant at extremely close relations, like siblings or parent & child. By the time you get around to second cousins, it'd take multiple generations of repeated inbreeding for any serious issues(as Ana mentioned in regard to royalty).

As far as I am concerned consensual Incest between two adults is not a problem.

Eliah1102 wrote:As far as I am concerned consensual Incest between two adults is not a problem.

I too agree with this, so long as they do not intend to have children.

What consenting adults do is none of my business.

Generally speaking the only real issue with incestuous copulation resulting in children is that you have a greater chance of detrimental genes showing up. There are quite a few healthy adults/children wandering around as the result of a sibling/sibling pairing who only suffer from the stigma of being born of a brother-sister pair. Obviously consistently selecting life partners from only your immediate relations can, and has in some populations, resulted in some truly awful genetic ramifications but generally you cannot say all children born from immediate relation pairings will suffer for it (genetically).

I don't know. I think a lot of pop-science, folk lore, and gut reactions get thrown into the mix when discussing incestuous relations. Severe issues can result from non related pairings, and it's just as devastating. Sometimes you simply cannot predict what will happen, and I cannot bring myself to be the person who says "you can have sex, but children? No way". People should be educated, they should be informed, but since one cannot categorically state that their offspring would definitely suffer for the degree of relatedness between their parents I am uncomfortable categorically saying that they should not have children.

I have a few thoughts on it.

As long as they're adults and consenting, there shouldn't be a problem with it. However it gets tricky if one of the people involved was in a position of authority over the other- two cousins or two siblings being together is a little different from a parent and child being together. My concern about that is coercion, and making sure that the younger party is fully informed and wasn't 'groomed' for it like you hear in horror stories. There's a concern about if anything happened when the younger party was a minor, and people would wonder, which is a stigma they'd have to deal with.

So as long as they're adults and consenting, and there was nothing untoward happening (like grooming, or underage), then I see nothing wrong with the relationship itself. My own cultural upbringing, I'd likely be immediately grossed out, however it's none of my business truly, and that's a reaction that needs to go away (for myself at least).

As far as having children is concerned, I think genetic counseling should be recommended. The risk here isn't some new mutation popping up, it's that both parents are likely to carry the same recessive genes. Two random people aren't necessarily likely to have the same recessive genes, which is why those conditions are relatively rare. But if one parent had the recessive gene, then all of their children have a chance of having that gene. Two of those children, or the parent and child, then are more likely to have a child with that recessive mutation, even though neither parent had the condition itself. There are studies that say the risk of defects at birth doubles (goes from 2% to 4%), but that's not that drastic of an increase (but I believe that's a broad number, not one to be used for any specific couple). So genetic testing to make sure they're not passing something detrimental on to their children may be a good idea (and honestly I wish it was something made available to more people!) But they shouldn't be prohibited from having children. If the kids are healthy, in a safe home, and given every opportunity everyone else would have, what's the harm? I only see harm if both parents know they have something bad recessive and go on having kids knowing how likely it is that their child would suffer.

Eliah1102 wrote:As far as I am concerned consensual Incest between two adults is not a problem.

I fully agree, they are two consenting adults, why should it matter(except for the kids, because of the dangers of inbreeding in humans).

It's a crime, and anyone condoning it should seriously re-think it.