Accidental incest

Accidental incest is sexual activity or marriage between persons who were unaware of a family relationship between them which would be considered incestuous.

The laws of many jurisdictions^{[ which? ]} void incestuous marriages, even if entered into without awareness of the kinship. If an incestuous relationship is suspected, DNA testing may be used. Some jurisdictions^{[ which? ]} permit offspring of IVF donations access to donation records or to adoption records.^{[ citation needed ]}

Causes

People may be unaware of a kinship relationship between them in a number of circumstances. For example, artificial insemination with an anonymous donated sperm may result in offspring being unaware of any biological relations, such as paternity or half siblings. To reduce the likelihood of accidental incest, fertility clinics usually limit the number of times that a donor's sperm may be used. ^{[1] [2]} Some countries have laws limiting the number of children a donor can father, ^[3] while others limit sperm donations based on family numbers to enable one family to have true siblings.

Taiwan allows those conceived by artificial means to find out if they are related to a person they are considering marrying. ^[4]

Accidental incest may also arise in the following situations:

• Children separated from their family at birth
• Child abandonment ^[5]
• Non-paternity event
• Sexual exploration^{[ clarification needed ]}

Genetic sexual attraction is an unproven hypothesis, commonly considered pseudoscience, offered as an explanation for cases of sexual attraction and relations between adults who were not aware of their close blood relations. ^[6]

Notable cases

• In 2008, during a debate on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 in the House of Lords, Lord Alton of Liverpool claimed that a British brother and sister, who were twins separated at birth, married without knowing of their relationship. According to Lord Alton, the relationship was discovered soon after their wedding, and the marriage was annulled. The case was raised regarding whether adoptions should be kept secret. ^{[7] [8]} Questions were raised about whether the story is actually true, as Lord Alton was known to oppose the act due to its provision allowing the creation and use of animal-human hybrid stem cells for medical purposes. ^[9]
• An engaged couple in South Africa, who had been together for five years and were expecting a child, discovered that they were brother and sister just before their wedding. They were raised separately and met as adults in college. Just before the wedding, their parents met and they came to realize that they were siblings. The couple broke off the relationship after the discovery. ^[10]

In fiction

• The plot and eventual climax of Oedipus Rex revolves around accidental incest. Oedipus, raised by an adoptive mother who he believes is his biological mother, is given a prophecy that he will someday marry his mother. As Oedipus believes this is referring to his adoptive mother, not his biological mother, he runs away and gets caught up in the politics of Thebes and ends up marrying the recently widowed queen of Thebes, Jocasta. At the climax of the play it is revealed to both characters and the audience that Oedipus is Jocasta's son and they have been accidentally committing an incestuous relationship.
• The manga Koi Kaze (2001) is about the incestuous relationship between brother and sister, Koshiro and Nanoka. Koshiro's romantic attraction to Nanoka is initiated when neither sibling yet knows about their blood relation.
• In Daniel Defoe's novel Moll Flanders (1722) the title character, having been adopted at the age of three, unwittingly marries her half-brother and has three children by him before meeting her mother-in-law who she discovers to be her own biological mother, making her husband her half-brother.

See also

• Absalom, Absalom!
• Andorra (play)
• Íslendingabók (genealogical database)
• Moll Flanders
• Mordred
• Oedipus Rex
• Os Maias
• Westermarck effect
• Yrsa

References

1. "Accidental Incest Risk Increases". Edmonton Journal. Boston. Associated Press. 15 March 1979. p. 61. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
2. Atallah, Lillian (19 April 1976). "Report From A Test Tube Baby". Ocala Star-Banner. p. 35. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
3. Alvarez, Lizette (30 September 2004). "Spreading Scandinavian Genes, Without Viking Boats". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
4. Oung, Angelica (11 May 2007). "DOH working on provision to stop accidental incest". The Taipei Times. Taiwan. p. 2. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
5. Angelica, Jade Christine (July 1993). A Moral Emergency: Breaking the Cycle of Child Sexual Abuse. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 59. ISBN   9781556126178.
6. "Debunking genetic sexual attraction: Incest by any other name is still incest". Salon. 16 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
7. "Unknowing twins married, lawmaker says". CNN. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
8. Sabater, Liza. "Accidental Incest: Twins Separated at Birth Marry". Culture Kitchen. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
9. Henley, Jon (15 January 2008). "Did a pair of twins really get married by mistake?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
10. "Expectant South African Couple Discover They Are Brother and Sister". Fox News Channel. 4 November 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.