Incest, the love between family members should not be an issue for the criminal law. It is a natural, loving, and pure act, and is a moral rather than a legal issue.

I'd say so long as both people are doing it because they choose to, then its no-one elses business.

Con: Children can be born with severe learning difficulties or physical abnormalities as a result of incestuous families. The same thing happened with a brother sister in Germany who recently had four children taken into care -- all with special needs.

In relation to the abortion laws, this means that more foetus will be aborted if abnormalities are detected, or that more and more people will be brought into the world with problems for the sake of people wanting their own way. I personally wouldn't support either and would want to avoid it.

Incest is and should be a parental matter, each parent should be free to choose how to educate their children, including sexually

are you people actually serious!!! and to think i once was proud of my irish heritage, then i read these sick and vile comments. i really hope that all of ireland does not think like you do!!

do they not have a bible in ireland.what is the next thing you people will approve of pediphillia and beastiality?

Incest, assuming it's adult consensual, should be between the 2 people having it. There are often 3 arguments against incest. 1: Genetics. 2: Religion. 3: Morals. Ok well here goes.
1: Genetics is a null point.
Normal couple - 3-4% chance of abnormality
Cousins - 5-7%
Parent/child or sibling - 10-12.5%

Yes the risk is increased, but it's also increased from smoking, being older (women over 40), drinking etc. Not to mention that why is incest abnormalities the ONLY legally ruled and enforced genetic abnormality?

2: Religion is a personal choice and has no place in law

3: Moral defined by who? Is it moral to eat cows? Go to India and ask them. What about taking photos? Talking about the deceased? Morals are something that changes from place to place and through time. A hundred years ago being pregnant at 17 would be perfectly normal.

At the end of the day, it should be legal for consenting adults, and there should be counselling (genetic and otherwise) about it.

Followup:
Wykkan, why do you relate consensual relations between 2 adults to rape of either animals of children. What mental jump are you making to unite these two?

go to the video store and rent the movie titled 'Wrong Turn' and then you will see what incest creates and why it is wrong.what mental defect to you have to not see that this is so hideously wrong.

Because, unlike you, I don't base my opinion on a film! Wrong Turn? You mean the movie about the people being killed by hillbillys?

Your comprehension on what we're talking about is zero. You act like it's "Deliverence" and that incest leads to mass murder and toothless hicks running around playing banjos.

We're talking about CONSENSUAL ADULT incest. If you want to argue the genetics line and children, fine, that's one plausible (to some extent) argument. If you're talking about the social 'grace' than your just being a bigot.

How can you sit there and push your so called ethics, from a fucking movie, onto people that are living a 'normal' life of peace and love that just HAPPENS to be with someone outside 'normal' society. AGAIN CONSENSUAL ADULTS.

I'm done arguing with you. I've given you the numbers, the concepts and the discussion and your best argument is to talk about a fucking hollywood movie.

Do us a favour, don't breed.

Incest4TW wrote:

Because, unlike you, I don't base my opinion on a film! Wrong Turn? You mean the movie about the people being killed by hillbillys?
Your comprehension on what we're talking about is zero. You act like it's "Deliverence" and that incest leads to mass murder and toothless hicks running around playing banjos.
We're talking about CONSENSUAL ADULT incest. If you want to argue the genetics line and children, fine, that's one plausible (to some extent) argument. If you're talking about the social 'grace' than your just being a bigot.
How can you sit there and push your so called ethics, from a fucking movie, onto people that are living a 'normal' life of peace and love that just HAPPENS to be with someone outside 'normal' society. AGAIN CONSENSUAL ADULTS.
I'm done arguing with you. I've given you the numbers, the concepts and the discussion and your best argument is to talk about a fucking hollywood movie.
Do us a favour, don't breed.

Calm down. I think she (or he) was talking about physical abnormalities. If not then I apologise.
Sure, not every child is born abnormal, but to put the chances of that at such a high risk is worrying.
Legalising incest would also make it more difficult for a person (like me) to plead rape off their father or brother etc. If it is wrong in the first place nobody can fall into that trap.
I know I haven't been brought up to think like that -- but the thought of having a parent or sibling who'd approve of of having sex with me really creepy. It seems to break down the boundries and parental value just for the sake of rights to liberty.
I'm sure in some circumstances it's not immoral, but I still think (looking back at the deteriorating family values in modern society) a law legalising incest would not do it any good.

wykkan wrote:

do they not have a bible in ireland.what is the next thing you people will approve of pediphillia and beastiality?

o wow you're ignorant the bible tells you to marry within your family. Abraham married his half sister and was it jacob that told one of his servants to goe back to his homeland and choose a wife for him from his own family?

And again, I'm not talking about rape. Rape or abuse of a child (related or not) is a vicious crime that deserves the greatest punishment possible. But that's not the issue. I'm talking about consensual adult incest.

And again you bring in genetic anomalies. This is the ONLY section of debate that I'm willing to give ground in, but AGAIN I ask those of you against it, why can we have a law against incest due to genetic anomalies, but NOT against smoking, or drinking, or parents over 40?

Incest is the ONLY genetic anomaly that we have a law against. Why is that? Especially given the statistical data of increase (cousins, for example, is virtually zero). Infact there was a recent study that showed that incest can actually help our DNA because when a recessive trait shows, if that person then doesn't breed, it creates a stronger DNA structure as a whole.

But the point is, incest is the only genetic anomaly (potentially) that we rule against with law, and I think it's bullshit that it is. I can't understand why it's a legal matter, why people who love someone 'outside norm' can be sent to gaol for it.

It's crap.

(AGAIN: Consensual adults, not advocating abuse of children).

pay real close attention, cause i am only going to say this once. i was not saying that incest,beastiality, and child rape were the same thing. i was saying that the one was just as disgusting and wrong as the other. and if you want to start on the bible and use the scriptures to justify your grossway of thinking , then tell my what GOD meant in Leviticus 18:6-17, and Leviticus 18:29.think real long and hard before you jump in with an answer.

God and the Bible do not govern the lives of all..thankfully. The God that had something to say about who you marry, but said nothing about who you enslaved is no person/entity to run government by.

What people do with their lives behind closed doors is their own business. If people who partake in incest wish to know the risks, they can do research. If not, then it is their own personal decision to make.

Oh yea, Amen.

can"t be that personal for them or they wouldn't have posted it here in the first place.

A survey question was posted. I see no personal account posted, or even referred to.

it's quite obvious that you all are determined to lead sick, gross digusting little lives, so go for it. knock your moronic little selves out.we of the normal world will leave to wollow in your hideousness.

Incest4TW wrote:

And again, I'm not talking about rape. Rape or abuse of a child (related or not) is a vicious crime that deserves the greatest punishment possible. But that's not the issue. I'm talking about consensual adult incest.
And again you bring in genetic anomalies. This is the ONLY section of debate that I'm willing to give ground in, but AGAIN I ask those of you against it, why can we have a law against incest due to genetic anomalies, but NOT against smoking, or drinking, or parents over 40?
Incest is the ONLY genetic anomaly that we have a law against. Why is that? Especially given the statistical data of increase (cousins, for example, is virtually zero). Infact there was a recent study that showed that incest can actually help our DNA because when a recessive trait shows, if that person then doesn't breed, it creates a stronger DNA structure as a whole.
But the point is, incest is the only genetic anomaly (potentially) that we rule against with law, and I think it's bullshit that it is. I can't understand why it's a legal matter, why people who love someone 'outside norm' can be sent to gaol for it.
It's crap.
(AGAIN: Consensual adults, not advocating abuse of children).

I know you weren't actually justifying child abuse or rape, I was just suggesting the difficult situation it puts people in to plead rape. If a woman pleads rape from her brother, whether or not it is consented is irrelevent, it is just punishable straight off. I'm not saying there will be more rapes, but there will be more rape cases.

...anyway, it doesn't matter, that's a argument that's been discussed for a while and doesn't really justify making incest totally illegal.

I personally wouldn't want to make it legal and I accept that people disagree with me. I think the law should be encouraging certain behaviour in a society and upholding values. This is trickly, because that argument was used with homosexuality, and I am all for that being legal. I'd need more convincing and perhaps I should meet or look up some people from incestuous families so I can learn more about them before passing judgement.

I think people find it gross and sick because it's taboo and you only here about the ones who are weird and stupid and how films and tv shows depict them.

you're a sick bastard!! I'm a survivor of incest at the hands of my father. grew up in dublin and had nowhere to go for help. my dad abused all 5 of his daughtere, he should rot in jail. he ruined my life.