Connecticut to ban first cousin marriages, which are still legal in at least 16 states
Connecticut is cracking down on first-cousin marriages with a new law that takes effect October 1. This move marks a rare bipartisan win in the state’s Democrat-led legislature, where both parties agreed to close a long-standing loophole in marriage rules.
The simple bill makes it clear: No one in Connecticut can knowingly marry their first cousin. State laws already block unions between closer relatives, like parents, siblings, or stepchildren, but first cousins had slipped through the cracks—until now.
Republican State Rep. Devin Carney from Old Saybrook kicked off the push after reading about Tennessee’s recent ban. “Somebody sent me an article,” Carney told the Connecticut Post. “I found out Connecticut didn’t have a ban, even though more than 30 states do. So I dug in.” His idea sparked a review, revealing the state lacked clear penalties for such marriages.
Democrat co-sponsor State Rep. Steve Stafstrom from Bridgeport highlighted the science behind it. First-cousin couples face higher risks of birth defects in children, including heart problems, limb issues, early births, and even infant deaths, based on research from the National Library of Medicine. “We’re an outlier state that didn’t ban it,” Stafstrom said. The law won’t touch existing marriages to avoid punishing anyone who tied the knot legally before.
With this change, Connecticut becomes the 26th state with a total ban on first-cousin marriages. In New England, only New Hampshire joins the list of strict no-gos. Maine allows it for same-sex couples or with genetic counseling proof. The rest of the region—Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont—permits it without restrictions.
Other states add quirky twists to their first-cousin marriage laws. Arizona, Illinois, and Indiana let it happen if both partners are over 65 or can’t have kids. Minnesota restricts it to “established customs of aboriginal cultures.” North Carolina only greenlights marriages between double first cousins—kids from two sisters who married two brothers.
First-cousin marriages were legal everywhere in the U.S. during the Civil War, across all 34 states at the time. Today, they’re still allowed in about 16 states, though with varying rules. The trend shows states tightening up, much like New York’s 2021 ban on child marriage. That same year, a parent in the Empire State even sued to challenge an incest law blocking a marriage to their adult child.
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