In a surprising twist, NHS staff are being advised to rethink their stance on cousin marriages. The latest guidance suggests a ‘non-stigmatising’ approach.
Medical professionals working in the NHS have been instructed not warn against cousin marriages (Image: Getty)
A government-funded monitoring body has told NHS medical professionals they cannot give blanket advice against marriages between first cousins.
Healthcare workers have been directed to stop routinely discouraging such unions by the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD), which says parents only have a “slightly increased” risk of having children with genetic disorders.
The guidance says genetic counsellors need to meet with couples and relatives to help them “consider arranging future marriages outside of the family.”
Community-level approach recommended
The document stated: “Action at community level may help people to understand and act on [our] advice; but this is only acceptable if information is balanced, non-stigmatising and non-directive.”
Health bosses now face pressure to expand an existing investigation into different NHS guidance that claims cousin marriage has benefits, with demands to examine the NCMD document as part of this inquiry.
First cousin unions stay legal in Britain even though warnings have been issued repeatedly about higher chances of birth defects, with the practice being practiced more frequently in the British-Pakistani community compared to white British parents.
Based at the University of Bristol, the NCMD has received more than £3.5m from taxpayers to record and interpret data on child deaths. It issued the document in 2023.
Political pressure mounts for ban
Ministers have faced mounting calls in recent years to outlaw cousin marriages because of potential health problems for children of blood relatives.
Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden introduced proposals to ban the practice in 2024 when he was a backbench MP.
He said children of first cousins were at greater risk of birth defects and the practice should be outlawed on public health grounds. Downing Street said at the time it had no plans to prohibit it.
Mr Holden told The Times: “Our NHS should stop taking the knee to damaging and oppressive cultural practices. This guidance turns basic public health into public harm.
“First cousin marriage carries far higher genetic risk, as well as damaging individual liberty and societal cohesion. Pretending otherwise helps no one, least of all the children born with avoidable conditions and those trapped in heavy-handed patriarchal power structures they can’t leave for fear of total ostracism.”
Charles Amos argues in favour of first cousin marriage
Specialist nursing role created
Last week it emerged that an NHS hospital trust had recruited a nurse to support families where parents are close relatives.
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust advertised the position for a “close relative marriage neonatal nurse/midwife.”
The job description said the successful candidate would “provide comprehensive care and support to families who have recently had a baby and are close relatives, cousins, uncles, aunts, or other closely related family members.”
The NCMD told The Times: “The purpose of the National Child Mortality Database is to collect data on deaths and share our findings to improve and save children’s lives.
“We do not instruct the NHS or its staff on practice, except where we either a) make recommendations for professionals to help reduce mortality in children; or b) inform those professionals who have a statutory responsibility to review child deaths of how best to submit information to our database.”
