What's the Closest Yet Most Distant Relative It's Acceptable to Have Sex With?

As cousin said, "Vice is nice, but incest is best."

That's what raincoats are for.

Third cousins produce the most offspring.

Geography counts wrote:

Need more info to answer definitively.

Are you from Arkansas? West Virginia? Do you have all of your teeth? Do you own a pair of shoes?

These are important questions. Unlike in, say, New York and California, it's illegal to marry your first cousin in Arkansas and West Virginia.

Counterintuitive wrote:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ReproductiveHealth/story?id=4258128

Third cousins produce the most offspring.

Completely undermines the race mixing theory doesn't it?

so white racists, go marry your cousins!

Pics?

This White Man Jumped wrote:

What about second cousins?

It's not a popular opinion, but it's fine. With honesty, my grandparents were second cousins, funny enough. From Brooklyn, not West Virginia :) My dad (their son) is an engineer.

I think being 2nd cousins is far enough apart to have a relationship. I think it's right on the boundary of what most people would consider acceptable. For crying out loud, I don't even remember the names of most of my 2nd cousins.

Plus, if you end up married, I guess that would reduce the likelihood of in-law problems, since you probably know them already...

west virginia wrote:

Counterintuitive wrote:http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ReproductiveHealth/story?id=4258128

Third cousins produce the most offspring.

Completely undermines the race mixing theory doesn't it?

so white racists, go marry your cousins!

I think that was kind of an unspoken implication of the article; it's not really racists, it's just people who are reproductively successful, which is obviously evolutionarily desirable. Race mixing has other genetic advantages, but this at least is a clear disadvantage. As with anything else in the world, there are positives and negatives; nothing is either one exclusively.

Second cousins in my family got married. At first it was really weird and everyone talked and criticized them behind their backs. Eventually people got used to it, the wedding happened and they have two healthy kids now. It's a little weird, but people get used to it.

So...it's been a week now since my cousin and I had sex for the first time. It's been pretty eventful. She's pretty much stayed here most of the week, except for one night.

The more we're together, the more we find in common (besides family). Since Monday we've been running together. Tomorrow we're going to one of her co-worker's house for a party as a couple.

We figured as long as it doesn't feel weird, let's just go with it and enjoy things. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of good responses to this thread. I appreciate the thoughts.

Lol awesome bro

Sex is ok with 1st cousins. Pregnant no.

Micky Loving wrote:

Sex is ok with 1st cousins. Pregnant no.

Why? Do you feel that no couple where the woman is 35 or older should get pregnant as well?

sister

You guys are all prudes. OO the sky fairy is going to judge you and send you to burn forever, as if that were even physically possible, if you have sex with the wrong person. What happens behind closed doors is nobody's business, so long as its consensual.

fhv has nailed the biology on this one. Risk of offspring having genetically recessive diseases only starts to rise significantly after second generation of close inbreeding.

Somewhat non intuitively, this also applies to populations with a long history of inbreeding. If you are in one of these populations you _can_ reduce your risk of offspring having genetically recessive diseases significantly by procreating with someone outside of that population (assuming there are increased genetically recessive diseases within that population).

Take home-- you can have babies with your cousins as long as all your parents aren't cousins.

-6 inches, give-or-take

RE: What's the Closest Yet Most Distant Relative It's Acceptable to Have Sex With?

Most distant? I'd stick to homo sapiens.

Is it ok if my sister shows me her boobs?