Some of the countries in Scandinavia have legalized incest. I imagine there will be more blue-eyed blonds there than ever before albeit with two or more heads. Those Swedes all look alike, anyhow. The same argument is used for "homosexual rights." Whose business is it what goes on in the bedroom and other such sophistries.  Should we care if brother and sister "hookup?"

I think the general consensus is that's it's a pretty repulsive practice when it involves consenting adults, and a reprehensible criminal act when it involves children. I think there's a case in the news recently where an adult brother and sister in Germany want to live as man and wife and are petitioning the court to allow this. Needless to say, this has caused an intense stir in Europe. I guess this is an issue I haven't thought about too much (after all, I'd like to be able to keep my lunch down) and there is some ambivalence about it on my part when contemplating what the legality of it should be. Obviously, anything involving children must be verboten. But what if 2 consenting adults in their "right minds" decide they want to have that kind of relationship? Is it really anybody else's business? I don't know. Instinctively, I can't help but feel that it would be emotionally and/or mentally damaging, at least to one of the partners, but I'm really not in any position to say that with authority. The incest taboo is pretty much universal throughout history, but some societies have condoned it...Egypt, for one. I heard an anthropologist once suggest that the incest taboo came about because individual tribes needed to expand and mix with other tribes in order to strengthen themselves and ensure survival, and obviously they couldn't do that if they stayed closeted amongst themselves. Not sure if that's true, but it seems a valid enough point. As a non-anthropologist, I'd say the taboo exists more because of the inherent YUCK!! factor of it all.

IF WE ARE ( AS THE BIBLE STATES) ALL DECENDANTS OF ADAM AND EVE.. DOESN'T THAT MAKE US ALL THE PRODUCTS OF INCEST ? ADAM WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAVE HAD SEX WITH HIS DAUGHTERS, AND SO WOULD HAVE EVE WITH HER SONS IN ORDER TO CREATE SOCIETY . ( THINK OF THAT ONE..LOL)

The Hapsburgs, a now "extinct" royal family, ruled much of Europe prior to the 18th century and these people imbred on a regular basis to the point where Spain had King Carlos II, a severely mentally disabled man with an underbite so bad that he couldn't chew food normally (his parents were uncle and niece..I think). In fact, this underbite is known as the Hapsburg jaw and it is present in several members of this royal family (slightly obvious in their painted portraits). Now I, myself, have an underbite but it isn't as bad as the one had by Carlos II. Their justification for incest: to keep the royal bloodline. Ick.

Pretty sick behavior.I think incest was responsible for several insane emporors in ancient Rome.

Nasty, horrible, gross... Ask Oedipus how this turned out. Recommended onlyfor those who want their descendants to have goggly eyes and flappy arms like Jar Jar Binks from that dreadful Star Wars flick...

If we're talking two consenting adult people, then I don't think there needs to be a law against it because, as I've said elsewhere, what two consenting adults choose to do with each other is nobody's business but there's. However, if we're talking adult/child incest, then it's absolutely, completely and always wrong.

This is just plain dimented. I heard on the radio about a recent study that confirmed that sex even with a first cousin would not yeild any negative effects on the potential child, but sex within the immediate family is simply perverted and will. I dont recall ever hearing of an incident where this happens (sex in the immediate family)with both parties consent. Im gonna say its evil. Period.

I guess that's why the royal blood lines are considered "blue"...they haven't had an oil change in years.

Incest isn't a part of healthy sexual behavior. I believe most incest that occurs probably involves a minor. Therefore the laws against incest are necessary to help prevent pedophilia.

An exception to the consenting adults rule because potentially a third party could be hurt due to the possibility of genetic disorder. However, I think the law is probably in place simply for the yuck factor taboo, which is why I knocked a star off my rating. Icky as it is, but for the potential impact on any child born as the result, it's really none of the rest of our business. Incest is a felony in all but two states. It's only a misdemeanor in Delaware, and in Rhode Island there's no law against it at all.