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Sticky Subject: Should incest be illegal?

edited April 2009 in Politics
I know what you think: "What the fuck?"

But someone in a different forum I regularly visit made a point that rarely governments regulate any other form of sexual relationship and when they do the public usually frowns upon it, especially liberal people. For example, sodomy laws were just awful and unfair.

We also do not usually restrict other people from having sex where possibly birth defects might happen and we do not fault these people when they bear children with birth defects. In fact, we are mostly encouraged to show the most compassion for parents who try to give a decent life to children with disabilities.

After some thought I have come to the following conclusion: While I highly discourage sexual relationships within blood relatives, I can not muster up a case involving consenting adults that is consistent with my other moral beliefs where I would be able to declare incest something that should be illegal.

Thoughts?

Comments

  • edited April 2009
    Wasn't there something on the SG a while ago about the chances of birth defects being low and there being chances of beneficial recessive genes becoming active?

    This said, when incest is usually featured in the media it is in terms of pedophilia so I am yet to come across a serious and thought out argument for or against incest among legally consenting couples.
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • @Omnutia: In March 2008 in germany the supreme court ruled 7-1 to uphold that incest should be illegal after a legally consenting couple inquired to abolish them.
  • edited April 2009
    This said, when incest is usually featured in the media it is in terms of pedophilia
    Mm I think this is the thing that bothers me most. Imagine if you could raise your own spouse... I get the feeling that it would be far too easy for children to be taken advantage of from a young age. This is not an incest argument I suppose, but more of a paedophilia argument. But even if we were to step away from paedophilia and think about relationships where the child is of age, the question becomes when did the parent start feeling attracted to their child? The thought of that does disturb me.
    Post edited by fuurin on
  • edited April 2009
    chaosof99: Not meaning any offense, but the German government is hardly the most forward thinking in the world (This is based on the impression Max has given me.). Given that it's taken this long to get same-sex marriages approved in the more forward thinking parts, I don't think the establishment holds much weight in this kind of discussion.

    fuurin: I think we should keep to discussing the incidents where incest laws don't overlap with laws on statutory rape. That said, I personally don't see a likely situation in which vertical relationships are going to come out well. Should it be banned on a "More harm that good" basis, if this is the case?

    Let's break this down:

    Relationships within a family where either party is under the age of consent: Out of the question due to laws of consent.

    Relationships within a family where both parties are above the age:
    1) Horizontal relationship between two siblings?
    2) Should a distinction be made between those who have known each other for a long time and siblings separated at birth? Is there any real difference?
    3) Vertical relationships between a parent and child? [See above for my opinion.]
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • chaosof99: Not meaning any offense, but the German government is hardly the most forward thinking in the world (This is based on the impression Max has given me.). Given that it's taken this long to get same-sex marriages approved in the more forward thinking parts, I don't think the establishment holds much weight in this kind of discussion.
    You were asking for an example of this problem between legal consenting adults. I gave you one.
  • This said, when incest is usually featured in the media it is in terms of pedophilia
    Mm I think this is the thing that bothers me most. Imagine if you could raise your own spouse... I get the feeling that it would be far too easy for children to be taken advantage of from a young age. This is not an incest argument I suppose, but more of a paedophilia argument. But even if we were to step away from paedophilia and think about relationships where the child is of age, the question becomes when did the parent start feeling attracted to their child? The thought of that does disturb me.
    I already excluded the paedophilia argument as I am only looking at consenting adults. Paedophilic incest is already illegal because it is paedophilia and it should be illegal because a child can not give sexual consent.

    We also can not outlaw stuff because of a special pleading coming from our personal distaste for something. The only additional problem you mentioned was the age difference with which I do not have any problem at all in regular couples.
  • edited April 2009
    If you look at the article, what do you see that is wrong with them, specifically within the context of them being related (As in, does the age cap become more of a pressing issue between siblings?)?

    Edit: Never mind that bit in the brackets, see above post.

    Edit 2: Should we find a case where incest is isolated from the issues of pedophilia and age difference to discuss?
    Post edited by Omnutia on
  • No. I don't find it bothersome (at least to me), and if two consenting adults love each other, then what the hell. I wouldn't get it on with any of my siblings, though, but that's just me. I do not support pedophilia, however.
  • When it is adult siblings, I think it should be legal. Adult children with their own parents... I am not sure.
  • Can we at least all agree that it's creepy?
  • When it is adult siblings, I think it should be legal. Adult children with their own parents... I am not sure.
    For the purposes of this argument, I don't think there is a difference. They are both consenting adults.
  • When it is adult siblings, I think it should be legal. Adult children with their own parents... I am not sure.
    For the purposes of this argument, I don't think there is a difference. They are both consenting adults.
    Yes, but the adult child's consent may be based on years of coercion, abuse, etc.
  • When it is adult siblings, I think it should be legal. Adult children with their own parents... I am not sure.
    For the purposes of this argument, I don't think there is a difference. They are both consenting adults.
    Yes, but the adult child's consent may be based on years of coercion, abuse, etc.
    You make a good point, but in that sort of situation I think the incest becomes more of a rape.
  • JayJay
    edited April 2009

    Let's break this down:

    Relationships within a family where either party is under the age of consent: Out of the question due to laws of consent.

    Relationships within a family where both parties are above the age:
    1) Horizontal relationship between two siblings?
    2) Should a distinction be made between those who have known each other for a long time and siblings separated at birth? Is there any real difference?
    3) Vertical relationships between a parent and child? [See above for my opinion.]
    2) Should not matter. How much time were they apart? Did they meet knowing who each other were or were they strangers that just fell in love? This leads to too many gray areas that may be hard to practically test.
    3) Defiantly no. I could imagine many, commonly occurring, environments where the child could be groomed. Not to mention the relative power the adult would have in the relationship. The potential harm would far outweigh the potential benefit.
    1) Given that they are consenting adults and no funny business occurred in the family to encourage the relationship I don't see a problem with this at first blush. Assuming that the chance for birth defects is not significantly high. WhatÂ’s significant? I would have to do more research to inelegantly comment on that.
    Post edited by Jay on
  • This is interesting. In the case of an adult and a child, its out of the question and wrong. If both are consenting adults, then there shouldn't be a problem. I've heard of cases where two adults have problems, especially when the are brother and sister.

    In the eyes of the laws laced in religion, it might seem wrong, but the law bares no thought on how two adults feel about each other, or for any mitigating circumstances (like say, two sibling have never met before and were seperate at birth, but met later as adults). I think its hard enough to find someone to love in life, so for any adults in this kind of situation, it might be a living nightmare.

    Perhaps an exception should be made in law, if the people involved are adults only. While I think the church etc won't like it (fuck em, like we care), and the issue of potential inbreeding might also ruffle feathers, this would solve most of the problems.
  • If there is child involve then it should be illegal,and if there is mental and physical harm done to one of the individuals in the relationship, or in order to create the relationship, it should be illegal.
  • If there is child involve then it should be illegal,and if there is mental and physical harm done to one of the individuals in the relationship, or in order to create the relationship, it should be illegal.
    Aren't those things already illegal independently of incest?
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