Connecticut Legislators Vote to Ban First Cousin Marriages

Yesterday, legislators in Connecticut voted to ban marriage between first cousins. The bill received bipartisan support and now heads to the governor’s desk for a signature. The amendment is expected to go into effect on October 1, 2025.

Currently, marriage between first cousins is legal in 26 states – more than half of the U.S. Connecticut is one of 17 states and the District of Columbia where there are no restrictions against marriage between first cousins; and first cousins can marry under certain conditions in another 10 states. (Marriages between second cousins are legal in all states.)

Where is first cousin marriage legal? See a list of states: Kissing Cousins - Which States Allow Cousin Marriage?

But there have been increased efforts to limit or prohibit cousin marriages in the past few years. Tennessee banned the practice in April of 2024. A bill to recognize out-of-state first cousin marriages in Delaware was swiftly voted down earlier this year. And last year, anti-incest legislation in Kentucky that would have unintentionally legalized cousin marriages was quickly revised before it was passed to keep the practice off limits.

Marriages between first cousins are very common in some parts of the world, accounting for nearly 65% of all marriages in Pakistan, 55% in India, and 20% in Turkey (according to this study in BMC Women’s Health Journal). In the U.S., however, only about 0.2% of all marriages are between first cousins. 

• Learn more about the cultural practice of consanguineous marriage here: Kissing Cousins - The Popularity & Controversy of Cousin Marriage

• Read the full text of the bill here: 2025 Connecticut Substitute Bill No. 6918 - An Act Prohibiting First Cousin Marriage (Sponsored by House Judiciary Committee Committee; Cosponsors Rep. Matt Blumenthal [D] and Rep. Steven Stafstrom [D])

• Read all Connecticut Marriage Laws

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