Turns out cousin-marrying isn't as bad for your genetic destiny
as all those inbred, hemophiliac royals make it seem. Pajamas
Media columnist Dr. Helen Smith says: "While you may get some
weird looks from people if you tell them you married your
cousin, it seems that you are in good company," as both Albert
Einstein and Charles Darwin married their cousins. The rate of
birth defects is only slightly higher among cousin marriages —
children of non-related people have a 2-3% of having children
with defects, while related couples have a 4-6% of producing
children with defects — and 26 states allow firsts cousins to
marry. So the next time you get all turned on at a family
reunion, you can comfort yourself with the statistic that 1 in
1,000 Americans marries his cousin, which is something you'll
probably have to tell all your friends when they're grossed out
that you're doing your relatives. [Pajamas Media]