I find it intriguing that a Conservative former minister, Richard Holden, has called for first-cousin marriage to be banned in the UK. He argues that the practice threatens women’s freedom and leads to birth defects. Medical evidence shows that while the risk of birth defects is relatively higher among children born to consanguineous parents, the absolute risk remains low. In fact, the absolute risk increase is comparable to factors such as older maternal age, obesity and smoking – but there are no calls to ban them.
As a GP working at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability in London, I manage patients with genetic disorders ranging from Down’s syndrome to rare mitochondrial and genetic diseases. None of my patients were born of consanguineous parents.
I would also like to point out the historical inconsistency in the values being defended – Holden fails to mention that cousin marriage was once a common practice among the British aristocracy. I feel that grouping the whole Pakistani community as being subject to a “clan mentality” demeans them and highlights Holden’s intolerance.
As an elected member of parliament, Holden has a responsibility to bring communities together rather than alienating any on grounds of prejudice and intolerance. I wish he would focus on more pressing issues, both domestic and international.
Dr Qurratul-Ain Rehman
New Malden, London
