A near-miss error on a Kentucky bill nearly legalized sex between first cousins.
Kentucky Republican Nick Wilson‘s House Bill 269, which was introduced on Jan. 16, initially caused shockwaves across the internet, as the nation reacted in horror and disgust at the proposed amendment to the state’s definition of unlawful incest. The initial bill, which was later revised, struck “first cousin” from the list of illegal familial relationships, according to the Kentucky General Assembly website.
The bill’s initial draft would have seen Kentucky’s laws around incest change, and not for the better. The current law is clear in stating that a person is guilty of incest if they, at any point, engage in a sexual relationship with “his or her parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, great-grandparent, great-grandchild, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, brother, sister, first cousin, ancestor, or descendent.” Wilson’s initial bill struck first cousin from the list, which would have decriminalized any sexual acts between first cousins in the state.
News of the near-miss spread like wildfire, in the days after the bill was revised, and quickly led to an outcry — on top of a mountain of jokes. People wasted no time in poking fun at Kentucky, republicans as a whole, and Wilson himself, as they digested the news that another U.S. state might soon allow for legal incest. Oh, did I forget to mention that incest between adults (starting at age 16 in Rhode Island) is legal in two U.S. states? Because it is.
Wilson’s revision of the already-revised bill to once again include first cousin came quick, but not quick enough. It likely was a mistake, as Wilson claims, that saw first cousin removed in the first place, but a bulk of the nation now sees it otherwise. They’re convinced that Wilson fully intended to strike first cousin from the list, and only backtracked after learning how unpopular it was.
That’s probably not the case, but if it is, Wilson is still in luck. As noted above, two U.S. states are fully in support of incest — you can’t marry a family member, but fornication is fine — so if Wilson up and moves to Rhode Island or New Jersey, we’ll know the real reason why.