Connecticut Bans First-Cousin Marriages, Becoming 26nd State to Outlaw the Union
Unanimous bipartisan support in a Democrat-led Legislature paves the way for an Oct. 1 effective date.
Connecticut will ban marriages between first cousins effective Oct. 1, making the state the 26th to outlaw such unions and marking a rare instance of bipartisan support in a Democrat-dominant legislature.
The bill, passed during the General Assembly session earlier this year, prohibits knowingly marrying a first cousin. It expands the state's prohibitions beyond relationships such as parent-child or stepchild, which are already illegal.
State Rep. Devin Carney, a Republican who represents Old Saybrook, sponsored the measure after learning that Tennessee had banned first-cousin marriages. He found that more than 30 states ban the practice and Connecticut was an outlier, with no firm stance or penalty when such marriages occurred.
State Rep. Steve Stafstrom, a Democrat who co-sponsored the measure, said science links procreation between first cousins with higher risks of birth defects, including limb deformities, heart conditions and neonatal mortality.
Connecticut will join 25 states that already ban first-cousin marriages. The New England region has two states that strictly prohibit the practice, while others rely on partial restrictions. New Hampshire and Connecticut are the only New England states that ban it entirely; Maine permits it under certain conditions with genetic counseling. Other states such as Arizona, Illinois and Indiana allow cousin marriages under specific circumstances, including advanced age or infertility.
Cousin marriage was legal in all states before the Civil War. It is currently illegal in at least 16 states nationwide, with significant variation in restrictions across the country.
The National Library of Medicine notes that procreation between close relatives increases the risk of birth defects. Connecticut's action is framed as aligning the state with public health considerations and broader national trends toward restricting cousin marriages.
The bill's language does not spell out penalties in the way some offenses do, but it clearly bars knowingly entering into a marriage with one's first cousin, with the enforcement date set as Oct. 1. The measure passed amid broad bipartisan support in a legislature that features a Democratic majority at the top but a notable cross-party backing for this reform.
In a broader national context, a 2021 development in New York drew attention to how states are reexamining family laws; New York outlawed child marriage that year, and a separate case involving a parent challenging a state incest ban highlighted ongoing legal debates about the balance between personal choices and public health concerns.
