Consanguineous Marriages

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Saudi Arabia has the highest number of first cousin and second cousin marriages because in the Saudi family, the only interaction which is permitted between a man and a woman is inside the family structure with cousins. Fifty percent of all marriages are consanguineous and three out of four of these are between first cousins. The author stresses that the recessive genes resulting from consanguineous marriages often result in the off-spring having many cardiac malformations and diseases that are very rare in the west or totally exclusive to some Saudi Arabia tribes. The paper recommend that, to stop this practice, thus reducing the societal costs, the Saudi Government (1) has first and foremost to discourage inbreeding on a public level with the help of the Ulema and religious leaders of the land, (2) has to increase awareness among both tribal and urban dwellers about the problems arising from inbreeding and (3) all families should be taught to recognize diseases in their family to assist in determining the genes that are causing the problem. Map.

From the Paper:

"Since the Saudi society is an ultra conservative society, there hasn't been much talk about the effects of these marriages on child birth before recent times. In older times the child would probably die, most still do, and no body would attribute it to social practices of the people in regards to marriage. Although this is changing, there is still a long way to go. In a study by Al Gain on the disabilities in Saudi Arabia, he found out that most parents of disabled children had no idea of inheritance rules, and the diseases afflicting their children were actually genetic disorders."

More papers on Consanguineous Marriages:

• Analytical Essay # 74151 : "Same-Sex Marriages"
• Argumentative Essay # 2832 : "Same-Sex Marriages"
• Persuasive Essay # 74737 : "Same Sex Marriages"

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