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Arizona fugitives John McCluskey and Casslyn Welch think they're the next Bonnie and Clyde — but they're more like an evil White Stripes, since no one can agree on what their relationship is. More »
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Yet another reason Prince William and Kate Middleton should wed: They'll be upholding the royal tradition of marrying your cousin. They're both descendants of the despotic Elizabethan soldier Sir Thomas Leighton, making them 12th cousins, once removed. More »
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Despite American taboos, cousins are marrying each other in states where it's legal, and, with the help of studies that show little risk to their offspring, they're starting to come out of the shadows, with sometimes heartbreaking results. More »
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Last night, The Secret Lives of Women featured a young engaged couple who seemed like two clean-cut, completely normal kids — except for the fact that Kyle's dad and Kari's mom are siblings, making them first cousins. In the clip above, they describe what it's like to fall for your future spouse during childhood Christmases at Grandma's house. Kyle and Kari say that genetics shouldn't keep them from being together or even having a family, since their risk of having a child with a genetic problem is about the same as that of a woman over 40. In other countries, as many as 20-50% of marriages are between close relatives, so why is loving your cousin so taboo in America? More »
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It's time for another installment of Pot Psychology, the advice column in which everyone's problems are solved with an "herbal" remedy. (Remember, kids: Don't do drugs!) In this episode, the Molly to my Nomi, Rich, helps me dole out advice on stuff like smegma, internet sex, and incest. Got a burning question? Send it to tips@jezebel.com with "Pot Psychology" in the subject line. (Please keep them short; they're verrrry hard to read when stoned.) More »
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Turns out cousin-marrying isn't as bad for your genetic destiny as all those inbred, hemophiliac royals make it seem. Pajamas Media columnist Dr. Helen Smith says: "While you may get some weird looks from people if you tell them you married your cousin, it seems that you are in good company," as both Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin married their cousins. The rate of birth defects is only slightly higher among cousin marriages — children of non-related people have a 2-3% of having children with defects, while related couples have a 4-6% of producing children with defects — and 26 states allow firsts cousins to marry. So the next time you get all turned on at a family reunion, you can comfort yourself with the statistic that 1 in 1,000 Americans marries his cousin, which is something you'll probably have to tell all your friends when they're grossed out that you're doing your relatives. More »
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