Polygamist marriages = consanguineous marriages = neurometabolic, nuerogentic, autosomal disorders, etc.

Submitted by jennifer solis (United States), Dec 10, 2008 at 19:38

So, with all these harems going on, what additional possible negative aspect to it, besides the morality/should tax-payers pay/cultural decay question?

Answer -

"With prevalent consaguineous marriages taking place in Iran, the probability of the incidence of some rare metabolic disorders are anticipated to be higher in this population. In a 10-year period, 128 families including 196 cases referred to the Dr. Karimi-Nejad Genetic Center with nuerometabolic and neurogentic disorders were evaluated...Among the surveyed families, mucopoly-saccharidoses (MPS) was present in 41 families with 52 affected members, lipid storage diseases in 48 families with 77 patients and micromolecular metabolic disorders in 39 families with 67 affected members...This study shows that a population with high incidence of consanguineous marriages, some rare metabolic disorders are relatively common...Consanguineous marriages are very common in our society [Iran]. In some areas, it's prevalence exceeds 50% of all marriages because of social, cultural, and religious background. Eighty-two percent of the parents who participated in this study were close relatives, mostly first cousins.

http://www.ams.ac.ir/AIM/0142/shafeghati0142.html

"Pakistan along with many other West and South Asian countries has a very high prevalence of consanguineous, especially close cousin, marriages... there is substantial empirical information on offspring morbidity and mortality attributabe to parental consanguinity...

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/90513629/abstract

"The UAE society is cosmopolitan, but the indigenous inhabitants are traditional with puritanical values despite their exposure to other vastly different cultures and habits. Marriages between consanguineous couples are still the norm rather than the exception. As a result, there is a high frequency of genetic disorders, particularly autosomal recessive types. Despite the high frequency of genetic disorders like haemoglobinopathies and others characteristically found in this population, genetic services are inadequate..."

- Prof. Lihadh Al-Gazali; Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University

Not to point the finger - we here in the good ol' U.S.A. have our own "science project" going on - it started a little over 72 years ago. It's been dubbed, "Polygamist's downs", better known as fumarase deficiency - the disability is caused by an enzyme irregularity that causes severe mental retardation brought on by cousin marriage. A sect of Mormons has the largest population of fumarase deficiency in the world -

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/195535

So, reg. polygamy, argue what the Bible advocates; argue the financial cost; argue the morality of it all...

But, one can't deny, science, evolution, modern medicine says...it's a no-no.

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