'My parents are first cousins - it's their fault I have so many health problems'
More than 10 per cent of marriages worldwide are between first and second cousins - but not everybody believes it's a good idea. On average, a person shares around 12.5 per cent DNA with a first cousin, 6.25 per cent with a first cousin once remove and 3.13 per cent with a second cousin.
However, one 21-year-old student claims 12.5 per cent was enough to leave him with physical and mental health defects due to his parents being first cousins. Venting on Reddit, he said: "My parents are cousins. They tried to obtain a marriage license in Texas. The state didn’t grant it because it was illegal. They “married” anyways and ended up getting charged for it.
"Their way of thinking was 'we’re consenting adults so we aren’t hurting anyone.' They hurt me. Hurt my grandmother. They hurt our family. Ruined our family. Of all the people in the world, they chose each other. I dealt with so much s*** from other kids, from family. Isolated from my family for the first eight years of my life too.
"Around aged 15 to 16, I started distancing myself from my parents. I turned to my grandparents, my aunts, and my uncles. And I truly appreciate their comfort." He says he has been diagnosed with undifferentiated schizophrenia and is on medication for it but "dealing with this every day, especially in college is hell."
He added: "My PCP [primary care physician and psychiatrist told me it’s most likely from my parents being cousins. They told me it’s usually expected for inbred people to have mental issues. It hurt to hear so bad and made me feel like a freak. I suspect I have BPD [borderline personality disorder] as well, but I guess maybe some of the symptoms overlap.
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"I also have polycystic liver disease. Both of them had it.. Because it runs in our family. My chances of getting it/not getting would’ve been fair if they weren’t related but yeah sure, they weren’t hurting anyone. Esophageal reflux, chronic pain, abdominal distension, struggling to breathe at times, gastritis, back pain. How f***ing sweet. I’m on a waitlist for a liver transplant, so soon I’ll luckily be over this."
While admitting he has a 'love-hate' relationship with his parents, he says leaving for college and moving in with his grandmother was the "best thing he ever did". He said; ". I do have some kind of love for them, just like any person will for their parents but I just truthfully want an apology. For not thinking of anyone else. But even if they were to apologize which is unlikely, I don’t want a single thing to do with them."
Offering their support, one user said: "Your feelings are very valid. They were completely selfish when they decided to marry each other, let along procreate and have offspring. Have you ever considered writing each of them a letter addressing the multiple ways their actions have physically and mentally hurt you?
"They may never read it—but at least you will have gotten it off your chest, and if they do read it, they’ll die knowing how your true feelings and the real truth: that their actions did have consequences and you’re bearing the brunt of them. I am so sorry you’ve been dealing with this."
Another user added: "If people are going to engage in incest, then whatever if it’s consensual but they should at least have the decency to sterilize themselves. What they did was incredibly selfish and I’m sorry you’re paying the price." A third user said: "You’re not a freak. If anything you’re just like the rest of us. You’ve got s****y parents that didn’t think about your wellbeing before doing something dumb and s****y. I’m sorry."
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