Overview
- Newly publicised NHS England materials describe concerns about genetic risks from cousin marriage as exaggerated and say risks should be weighed against social and economic benefits.
- The document instructs staff that discouraging cousin marriage is inappropriate and warns against stigmatizing patients for practices considered normal in some cultures.
- An NHS spokesperson said the service recognizes genetic risks in consanguineous relationships and offers referrals so individuals can understand those risks before deciding.
- Critics including Conservative MP Richard Holden and academics Patrick Nash and Michael Muthukrishna condemned the guidance and argued the practice harms health and social integration.
- Coverage notes higher prevalence of close-relative marriage in parts of the British Pakistani community, cites prior local data on congenital conditions, and reports YouGov polling showing broad public support for a ban.