Connecticut will ban marriages between first cousins starting in October, citing scientific concerns about birth defects, after lawmakers discovered the state was an outlier without a firm prohibition.
In a rare show of bipartisan unity, the Connecticut General Assembly has passed a law firmly banning marriages between first cousins, set to take effect October 1. The legislation simply states that “no person may knowingly marry such person’s first cousin,” closing a longstanding gap in state law that already prohibited marriages between all other immediate family members.
The bill was introduced by Republican State Rep. Devin Carney, who was inspired after learning that over 30 states, including recent adopter Tennessee, had such bans. “I was told it’s not banned in Connecticut, so I started looking into it,” Carney told the Connecticut Post. Democratic State Rep. Steve Stafstrom, a co-sponsor, explained the rationale, stating, “Science shows that procreation between first cousins increases the chances of birth defects. We also didn’t want to penalize or jeopardize any marriages that occurred when it was legal.”
With this change, Connecticut joins New Hampshire as the only New England states with a strict prohibition. The move addresses medical evidence linking procreation between close relatives to a higher risk of limb deformities, heart conditions, and neonatal mortality. The law passed unanimously, reflecting a consensus on aligning state statute with public health considerations.