Brothers and Sisters

Someone asked on Yahoo Answers about consanguineous sex or love between brother and sister.

After reading some about brother and sister incest, I don't get it.....
I mean why is it illegal and gross?

It is illegal because some people have tried to control the sexuality of other people. Some people think it is gross, other people don’t. Some people are grossed out by the idea of various sexual realties.

But why is it not gross when it is boyXgirl?
What is the differnece?Blood?Chiledren?
In my opinion nothing is diffenrent except for the fact the children won't be healthy.....but maybe they won't have childeren?

The asker is correct in that sex and childbearing are two distinct things. We have childbearing without sex, we have sex without childbearing. But the asker makes an error in asserting as fact “the children won’t be healthy.” As with all births, there is some possibility of birth defects. If both siblings carry the same genetic problem, just as if both unrelated partners carry the same genetic problem, there is an increased possibility of that causing a birth defect in any offspring of the union. However, healthy children have been born to siblings couples.

Count Zander…

In a democratic society, most laws are reflections of public opinion. A lot of people consider incest to be disgusting.

A lot of people consider intergenerational (adult) relationships to be disgusting. A lot of people consider interracial relationships to be disgusting. A lot of people consider same-sex relationships to be disgusting. We don’t put rights up to a vote by majority. A majority voted for Prop H8, after all.

WyattsMommy…

you are sick.

Your bigotry and prejudice are showing. He is just asking a question.

The always informative Natalie Underwood checked in…

A scientist by the name of Westermarck discovered an instinct in human beings that causes them to avoid sex with anyone they lived with as a young child - whether they were actually relatives or not. That is why so many people feel a strong revulsion towards the idea of incest. It is not rejection based on reason or thought. It is a visceral,subconscious reaction.

It isn’t based on reason or thought.

The reason there are laws against incest is because some people do not have that instinct, and want to have sex with their family. Most people do have the instinct, and were disgusted by the idea, and people tend to legislate their own prejudices.

And we shoud tear down laws based on prejudice.

However, there are several countries where it is not against the law, because adult consensual incest is not harming anyone, and it is difficult to prove in court. So they save their resources for fighting child sexual abuse incest instead.

In Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Luxembourg, Turkey, Russia, India, Brazil, Israel and Japan, adult consensual incest is not a crime.

Rhode Island repealed its criminal incest statute in 1989, Ohio only targets parental figures, and New Jersey does not apply any penalties for incest to anyone over the age of 18.

I would very much welcome Natalie as a contributor this this blog. She is always so informative.

The law should not prevent marriage equality for a brother and sister.