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Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Philip Davies (Conservative). It was answered on Tuesday, 15 July 2014 on behalf of the Department of Health.


Born in Bradford Research Study

Question

In the Born in Bradford study, 63% of Pakistani mothers are married to cousins, and within that group there was a doubling of the risk of a baby’s being born with a congenital anomaly. The report also found that “a larger number” of children born to cousins

“will have health problems that may lead to death, or long term illness for the baby.”

How much do health issues related to first-cousin marriages cost the NHS, and, given those findings, is it not time that such marriages were outlawed?

Answer

We do not have any financial information, but it is important to point out that the Born in Bradford study showed that there was an increase in the risk of birth defects from 3% to 6% in consanguineous marriages. However, that clearly highlights that not all babies born to couples who are related have a genetic problem, and the key issue is to help women to make an informed choice before they get pregnant and to direct them to genetic counselling where that may be required.


Secondary information

Type
Oral question
Reference
584 c664 
Session
2014-15
Oral question type
1st Supplementary
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Subjects
Children Health Research Bradford
Link
View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk