The NHS has been accused of ‘taking the knee’ to political correctness by advocating the benefits of marriages between cousins – despite it carrying an increased risk of birth defects and being used as a way to oppress women.
The guidance – which incredibly points out that it has been allowed in Britain since Henry VIII passed a law enabling him to marry Anne Boleyn’s cousin Catherine Howard – says that cousin marriage offers benefits such as ‘stronger extended family support systems’.
The practice, which is common in the British Pakistani community, has been linked to a greater prevalence of disorders such as cystic fibrosis or sickle cell disease.
Figures show that up to 20 per cent of the children treated for congenital problems in cities such as Sheffield, Glasgow and Birmingham are of Pakistani descent, compared with 4 per cent or lower in the wider population – and treating these problems costs the NHS billions.
The guidance, released by NHS England’s Genomics Education Programme, argues that ‘although first-cousin marriage is linked to an increased likelihood of a child having a genetic condition or a congenital anomaly, there are many other factors that also increase this chance (such as parental age, smoking, alcohol use and assisted reproductive technologies), none of which are banned in the UK’.
It claims inter-marriage offers benefits which include ‘stronger extended family support systems and economic advantages (resources, property and inheritance can be consolidated rather than diluted across households),’ and that as banning the practice would ‘stigmatise certain communities and cultural traditions’, the authorities should instead offer ‘genetic counselling, awareness-raising initiatives and public health campaigns’.
Hellbound and Down 