The amendment would also reduce the designation of incest by contact to a Class D felony for some cases "unless it is committed with a person who is less than twelve years of age," in which case it is Class C.
The amendment would also reduce the designation of incest by contact to a Class D felony for some cases āunless it is committed with a person who is less than twelve years of age,ā in which case it is Class C.
Glad they are tackling the important issues in Kentucky. I'm sure every Kentuckyan has their ability to fuck their first cousin high on the list of problems they wish their government would address.
āAt 17 you can marry your first cousin but you canāt have hormones that your doctor is happy to prescribeā-Kentucky
Actually Iām surprised thatās the youngest I could make that joke. They recently raised the minimum marriage age to 17 with parental consent which like took you long enough but still good job
HB 269 - "The purpose of the bill is to add "sexual contact" to the incest statute. Currently, incest only applies in cases of intercourse. So sexual touching/ groping by .. anyone with a familial relationship is not included in incest. My bill makes that kind of sexual contact a Class D Felony, unless the victim is under the age of 12, then it increases the penalty to a Class C Felony."
Basically they accidentally left out cousins (and the bill has already been withdrawn) from what sounds like an otherwise good bill and the news media runs wild. Keep this handy when you hear about this for the next ( if <= heat death of the Universe )
imho incest should only be outlawed because of the risk of gene defects during pregnancy. so while nasty I dont think a hanky panky from your first cousin should be outlawed
Beyond the potential biological issues, the biggest problem tends to be coercion and consent. The majority of incestuous encounters are abusive and involve a power dynamic that makes informed consent impossible.
Now, if every party is an adult and capable of informed consent, it is possible to test for likelihood of genetic defects based upon the parents' genes. So, I can't think of a non-subjective objection if, for example, they met for the first time as adults and didn't know of such relation. Still pretty weird to me but I don't think it's anyone's place to interfere with healthy, loving relationships.
I read something in passing a while ago and didn't care to investigate the claim so I'm sorry this is just heresay, but the claim was the amout of variety in the modern genetics of humans makes gene defects from incest less likely than it has been in the history of the species. Obviously this one's gonna be case by case but I'd assume if it holds true it's for more diverse populations probably from nations with lot's of immigration and probably still really risky if you share parents. But again, I really didn't feel like spending time investing that.
People are talking about it like they are saying it's legal, rather than it just being left out of a list. Which sure, if it's left out on purpose, that's pretty telling. But a loophole in a law isn't always done on purpose. I'm willing to beleive for now it was an accident
Years ago in KY there was an anti-bestiality bill which was defeated. Reason was that it was so vaguely worded that animal husbandry and certain veterinarian practices would be technically illegal.
Soā¦ the same party that wants to stop same sex couples from having sex is upset that the government is telling them whom they canāt have sex with? Golly.
If you're inferring that this was the point I was making or overlooking, I hope you did so as a joke. The government's role, in part, is to protect people who can not protect themselves. Rape and underage sex aren't the same thing as having sex with your consenting 35 year old cousin. Honestly, as gross as it may be, what gives the government the right to say you can't have sex with your (consenting) middle-aged brother? These are two entirely different issues. Whether or not legislators should be spending any time on these issues is another thing.
So I do not endorse this guy or any GOP member in any way. But if you read the article he says dropping the first cousin from the list was an error of omission and not intentional, and he is re-filing the bill to include it. The intent of the bill was to expand the classification of incest beyond just intercourse to include any type of sexual contact. Which seems like its actually progressive, just not clickbait worthy.
I wouldn't call that "progressive" but it's not exactly libertarian freedom either. The actual law seems weirder than trying to deregulate cousin incest.
Not that I really feel strongly about it but I don't see the state interest in specifically banning cousin blowjobs. Seems like one of those things that should be in the dustbin of overtightened sexual restrictions like sodomy laws.
I've seen some compelling arguments for decriminalizing incest. Basically rape is already illegal [citation needed], the genetic risk is pretty small for the average person, and ultimately regulating what weird stuff consenting adults might choose to do in the bedroom is generally not a good thing. There is of course the problem of social/power dynamics and how that might play into consent but that's another issue not exclusive to incest.
you could argue that accidentally making cousin fucking legal, like accidentally making weed legal in minnesota (was that minnesota? I think so) is part of an ongoing issue where republicans don't actually know what the laws they're implementing do.
Felony by definition means it's punishable by at least one year in prison.
So specifically, why are we incarcerating consenting adults for having sex?
From a moral point, don't do that. From a legal point, stay out of the bedroom.
I'll also add context of this is a very Western belief. Natives of America prevented inbreeding by not marrying within the clan. Your first cousins could be in a different clan and therefore open for marriage.
I think the issue is twofold: if you allow a groomer (a real one, not a drag queen) to be around a child for their entire life, there will be an effect on what the child wants as an adult; and people have a lot of opportunities to blackmail family members.
Those things make it difficult to determine if the two consenting adults are both truly consenting. Itās the same logic behind banning polygamy- itās very easy for people to become trapped in it because their entire social universe supports it, so if you say no, youāre excommunicated. Thereās therefore no real way to know if you consented.
Itās the same reason cops canāt have sex with people they are holding under arrest. Oh waitā¦
It's jangling keys. So long as there are enough headlines about cousins banging, we won't have enough time left over to get upset about corruption, fascism, etc.
I rock climb in Kentucky sometimes. It looks like a war zone. Maybe they should fix the astounding levels of poverty, instead of ensuring that itās legal to bang your family.
Eh. I discovered that a married couple I know are first cousins, and have two very normal kids, so I looked into it.
From a genetics stand point, the risk of inbred related health risks are pretty negligible. I think it basically doubled the risk, on very small chances to begin with.
Yeah, it's still kind of weird and rude to talk about.
As mentioned elsewhere in the thread, the age portion of this law is the creepy part. It was my own bias that made the first cousins part weird. As others mentioned, it was pretty common for our tribal ancestors.
It's pretty common still in multiple countries and in some migrant subcultures living in other countries. The consequences over multiple generations are not pretty.
Imo it's still a bad idea to allow it. Even between first cousins of a family without a history of inbreeding, doubling the chance of genetic disorders is not nothing. Scale it up to many people doing it and it becomes a heavy burden on healthcare systems. And in countries with socialized healthcare, it's not really fair that everyone has to contribute more to healthcare because some people want to defy genetics. Imo again.
OK. You're talking about a culture that specifically encourages incest over many generations. Yes, that's problematic.
My point is that the social stigma of 1st cousins marrying far exceeds its actual danger in a more isolated case by case basis. Which is really what we're talking about here.
Also, your argument about Healthcare reeks of eugenics. Should someone with a known family history of <insert genetic disease> be allowed to reproduce? Or reproduce with someone else with similar genetic risks?
To put it another way, should my insurance fees / taxes subsidize your high risk of colon cancer?
You're spot on. The average risk of some genetic issue occurring in a standard pregnancy is about 3%, and the average risk between 3rd degree relatives, such as first cousins, is about 6%. I used to be a genetic counselor, and I'd seen a few first cousin cases, and even a case of double-first cousins, which was a higher risk, but still not as high as the much more run-of-the-mill scenario of a couple both being carriers of any given recessive genetic condition. People freak out about it because of the jokes about inbred families, but the much bigger issue with it is the power dynamic, especially concerning age. When you hear incest, you shouldn't be worried about kids with 6 toes, you should be worried about rape.
I met a guy who was married to his cousin and I had to google it too and found out the same thing. A lot of states allow marriage, and not just southern states as the stereotype would suggest. Here's the states that allow it: Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Vermont.
to be ""fair"" i'm pretty sure most (first world) countries actually don't restrict sex between first cousins. or same-sex incest for that matter. could be misremembering though
what is extremely sickening about it is the age the bill wants which makes it not at all comparable to most other countries (well except like France until recently maybe)
i mean it's still pretty incestuous so trying to separate it from other forms of incest as if it's so much different doesn't make much sense
The article conveniently leaves out that 19 states allow marriages between first cousins and additional states allow those marriages under certain conditions according to Wikipedia. It also is legal in most countries.
Never bothering to make a law about something is VERY different than having made such a law in the past and making a point to go out of their way to change it.
Plus, it is funny bc it reinforces the stereotype, which this comment summarizes well.
I met a pair of lover cousins once at a campsite. They were older, maybe 40s. And they were loud & proud about the fact that they were lovers and first cousins. It was unsettling.
I've made it a goal to stay off reddit, but I'm breaking this pledge today too see with r/survivor has to say about this! I'm positive they won't disappoint
Edit: zut alors! It's not being reported there... Or mods scrubbed it
Yea, news article I saw said he posted this about it
I filed HB 269 yesterday. The purpose of the bill is to add āsexual contactā to the incest statute. Currently, incest only applies in cases of intercourse. So sexual touching/groping by uncles, stepdads or anyone with a familial relationship is not included in incest. My bill makes that kind of sexual contact a Class D Felony, unless the victim is under the age of 12, then it increases the penalty to a Class C Felony.
During the drafting process, there was an inadvertent change, which struck āfirst cousinsā from the list of relationships included under the incest statute, and I failed to add it back in. During todayās session, I will withdraw HB 269 and refile a bill with the āfirst cousinā language intact. The fact that I was able to file a bill, catch the mistake, withdraw the bill and refile within a 24 hour period shows that we have a good system.
This is a bill to combat a problem of familial and cyclical abuse that transcends generations of Kentuckians. I understand that I made a mistake, but I sincerely hope my mistake doesnāt hurt the chances of the corrected version of the bill. It is a good bill, and I hope it will get a second chance.
A Kentucky Republican has introduced legislation that would amend the state's law so a person who had sex with their first cousin would no longer be criminally liable for incest.
According to the Kentucky General Assembly website, it would strike "first cousin from the list of familial relationships" defined as unlawful incest in the state.
In November 2022, Wilson ran unopposed for the 82nd District of the Kentucky House after Republican incumbent Regina Huff retired.
It would also alter Kentucky law on parole for violent offenders to include a person "who has been convicted of incest by sexual contact" within the definition.
In August 2021, webcomic creator and YouTuber Christine Weston Chandler, also known as Chris Chan, was arrested on a charge of incest in Virginia and later caused a stir by stamping their feet repeatedly in court to disrupt proceedings.
French survivors of incest spoke out online in January 2021 using the hashtag #MeTooInceste after prominent lawyer Camille Kouchner alleged that her stepfather, a high-profile political scientist, sexually abused her as a child.
The original article contains 505 words, the summary contains 174 words. Saved 66%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
I love how everyone that speaks logically and factually about this has to first overtly announce and apologize that they aren't supporting this candidate. Like, is everyone here so opposed to actual facts if it looks like there is even one iota of support for the 'other team'? Even when that's clearly not the case. Please, someone else has to see the stupidity.
My experience on lemmy is that the facts are secondary. It's a slight exaggeration, but if you don't support someone, you have to oppose everything they do or you are some big supporter of them. If you point out some criticism of them is not based in fact, it's "why would you defend them?"
It's much easier if the world is black and white and you're in a bubble that agrees with that. And so they'll attack anything that upsets this uniform simplicity.
This doesn't happen just on Lemmy. This happens on all social media. Everyone has their own little bubbles these days, and you must be 100% dedicated to the cause. Even the mere suggestion that the other side may have a point on anything is considered weakness and will get you labelled as a traitor to the cause. This is not only the state of politics these days, but the state of any topic of controversy: Sex, politics, religion, women's rights, LGBT rights, anything. You either must be 100% for or 100% against. Try to find a middle ground and you're just likely to find yourself ostracized by both sides.
Like, is everyone here so opposed to actual facts if it looks like there is even one iota of support for the 'other team'?
It's an election year in the US, so yes. The amount of people I see get down voted for what people assume someone means instead of the literal words on the screen is absurd. I see people preface critisizm of America with 'Im euroepan' so they dont get mobbed by Americans demanding they admit Trump is worse and that voting for anyone but their guy is sure to bring the apocalypse.
Don't get me wrong I much prefer Lemmy to reddit, but there's not as much difference in community as some people like to say there is. Basically we just like linux a lot more here.
No, this place is much worse than reddit. You could find a space that had different views on reddit. Here is just one giant echo chamber that you must agree with or else. Democrats have just as much good ideas as Republicans, which is to say pretty freaking close to zero. So it would be nice to get factual information from either side, but that clearly won't happen here.
Okay, to be fair, I see no problem with fucking your first cousin. What I do see a problem with is having a child with them. A couple of my cousins are totally hot and i bet most ppl have one of those. Plus, it prob happens more now anyway since its taboo and that makes it more fun.