Is It Legal To Marry Your First Cousin In New York State?

I bring this up because recently in the State of Tennessee, which allows first-cousin marriages, the legislature, led by Republicans voted to send Governor Bill Lee a proposal that would ban marriage between first cousins according to the Associated Press.

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The Tennessee Senate approved the bill and the House just passed it as well on April 11, 2024. It now goes to the Governor to sign or reject it.

Did you know that first-cousin marriages are legal in 17 states? It's true according to an article in Newsweek, including New York State, along with most other states on the Eastern Seaboard except for Maine, New Hampshire, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.

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Technically, it is legal in the State of Maine, with exceptions, meaning cousins are allowed to wed after they undergo genetic counseling, according to Newsweek, which also notes that "other states that have exceptions, allow it when both individuals seeking to get married reach a certain age, typically at which they would be unlikely to have children."

Interesting note from the website Federal Lawyers.com -  "...Scientists have found the risk of birth defects is only slightly higher for babies born to first cousins compared to non-relatives." Does this make you a bit uncomfortable? Well, you are not alone.

Digging deeper into the New York State law, while it is legal for first cousins to marry, the Empire State does prohibit marriage between relatives, including siblings, parents, and children.