La medicalización del matrimonio entre primos en el siglo xix: Enfoques históricos y filosóficos

Although incest (i.e., sex between siblings or between parents and offspring) is universally abhorred (per the Westermarck effect), cousin marriage (consanguineous unions) is only rejected by some cultures. Although in some Western countries, and especially in the United States, there is extensive legislation against cousin marriage, this has not always been historically the case. The negative attitudes towards cousin marriage in the West actually have a long history, and non-medical factors (religion, politics, economics, demography) have played a role in this regard. However, by the mid-19^th Century, the stand against cousin marriage was medicalized. Even though ultimately medical studies have proven that cousin marriage is not particularly dangerous, negative attitudes towards it persist. This article approaches this problem from a historical and philosophical perspective.