The political problem with cousin marriage

On 1 July, the Swedish government formally outlawed first-cousin marriage, presenting the ban not simply as a measure to reduce inherited disorders but as protection against coercion, honor-based oppression and clan control. The immediate reaction, recorded by Svenska Dagbladet, was strikingly subdued. In Rinkeby, a Stockholm district with a large immigrant population, some residents welcomed the ban while others objected to political intrusion into family life. The most telling reservation was that the law would remain largely declaratory unless vulnerable young people were offered alternative sources of protection. After all, coercion and protection are two sides of the same system: the family that houses, employs and defends its members also acquires the power to supervise their friends