I had a child with my first cousin, people are always quick to judge but you can’t help who you fall in love with
IT’S increasingly hitting the headlines as a hotly-debated topic and leaving the nation divided.
There have even been calls for the practise to be completely outlawed – with some people calling it “gross” and “wrong”.
But in the UK, there is no legal ban on two cousins having a relationship or getting married.
One caller rang into LBC to “tell her tale” of falling in love with her first cousin – who she later had a child with.
In a clip shared to LBC’s TikTok account, a caller named Shirley told host Ben Kentish how she had a daughter with her first cousin.
Shirley claimed people “can’t help who they fall in love with.”
“I, um, have a child with my first cousin. We were together for 6 years. And the one thing that’s not been mentioned is you just fall in love,” she told host Ben.
Shirley went on to say she is “from a Jewish background” and that she and her cousin took medical tests to rule out the possibility of passing down any genetic diseases.
She said: “Before even contemplating it, we went to see a professor at the university of Sydney about the possibilities of what could happen. We had our test and we’re both negative.
“So we went ahead and we’ve got a 35 year old daughter together.”
Ben asked: “Did you resist it initially? Did you find it weird, or did it just feel natural to you?”
“Both, tell you the truth,” Shirley replied, “but we just got on so well, it’s like we were linked.”
Ben quickly pointed out: “Which you were, by blood?”
Shirley said: “Yes, yes, and obviously shared grandparents and all that.
“I was just very surprised that both sides of our family are fine with it.”
LBC viewers didn’t seem to share the acceptance of Shirley’s family – they quickly flooded the comments with disapproving opinions.
Can I marry my cousin in the UK?
ACROSS the globe, more than 10 percent of marriages are between first or second cousins.
In the UK, there’s no legal bar to two cousins having a relationship.
That means that if end up falling for the children of your aunts and uncles, there’s nothing stopping you from eventually tying the knot.
If you’re over the age of 18, you can do this without the consent of your legal guardian or parent.
First-cousin marriages were once quite common in Europe, especially among the elite.
“So now your auntie is your mother in law,” said one person.
“How is this even a conversation?” another person asked.
I’ve got too many first cousins to count, half of whom I’ve never met, but this is still a no from me.
TikTok user
While someone else said: “How embarrassing and wrong!”
And another person said: “Absolutely not.”