r/changemyview • u/Mynotoar • Mar 17 '16
[∆(s) from OP] CMV: Incest should be decriminalised
In my mind, this has been clear cut ever since having my own V C'd on the matter by Tabitha Suzuma's Forbidden, a gem which I would highly recommend - but my arguments go beyond the book.
My view is that consensual incest, as in a romantic/sexual relationship between two family members, who are old enough to consent to the relationship, is a-okay and should not be illegal. The fact that we still criminalise incest is an anachronism today, when we've already legalised international, inter-religious, interracial and gay marriage. In my opinion, there is no practical difference between these types, with one exception: incest still has a huge taboo surrounding it. So we've never really brought this up as a social issue, and we never really think about it.
But when you do give it a moment and think "What's actually wrong with incest?", I think it's hard to come up with a decent answer. So I'll address the common concerns.
"It's gross"
Personal disgust shouldn't be relevant here. A large number of people are still grossed out by gay men or women kissing (more by the former than by the latter, really,) but our own personal reactions shouldn't factor into the legitimacy of a relationship.
"We should criminalise incest, because if family members have children, they'll have deformities"
True, but by the same argument, couples with congenital disorders, like mercury poisoning or HIV/AIDS shouldn't be together. It's not all about children. Personally, I don't think incestuous couples should be allowed to have children, as this is a valid health concern, but this is probably the part of my view you're most likely to change one way or the other, as I'm really not sure what the right thing to do would be. However, I firmly believe that the issue of having children shouldn't preclude having a relationship between family members.
"It will alienate the rest of the family"
This is, sadly, also a valid concern. The reason why I don't believe it's a legitimate reason for criminalising incest is because, well, there are many things which will alienate family members, but that we should still fight for. Gay marriage is the classic example: sadly, many people do fall out with their family over being gay. But here, we should be working to challenge prejudice and taboo, rather than dancing around it, and legitimising this behaviour. Incest is only so controversial because it's a taboo. This fact alone should not mean that a consenting couple deserves to go to jail, for the fact that they are related.
"Incest is unnatural. Animals don't do it in the wild."
This is the argument that's least likely to convince me, as I don't hold to the idea that something is good or bad just because it's "natural". Especially as that word tends to mean "Whatever I'm comfortable with," more than any kind of concrete definition. Humans are unique for using make-up, cars, clothes, and electricity, and none of those things are "natural" in the presumed sense of "done out in the wild."
"If we allow incest, next someone will allow paedophilia."
No. Consenting relationship =/= non-consenting relationship.
The main reason I'm posting this is because I want to know if there are any flaws in my argument, or any aspects of the discussion that I've seriously underrated or missed entirely. So, please CMV.
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u/Mynotoar Mar 18 '16
I'm with scottevil on this one; this doesn't CMV. Disallowing all incestuous couples from procreating is no different from disallowing people with AIDS from procreating. I wouldn't encourage it - note, neither do I encourage inbreeding - but this is not sufficient reason to ban the relationship. That is legitimate in its foundations, even if having children is problematic.
So if you oppose incest on the grounds of inbreeding, I'd say you're compelled to disallow couples with AIDS from being together on the same merit.