Incest

Incest is sexual activity or marriage between very close family members. It is a taboo, as well as a criminal offense, in virtually all societies. In many societies premarital sex is allowed or encouraged; in most such societies, the same restrictions apply to sexual unions as to marriage.

Industrial societies

Many American states recognize two separate degrees of incest, the more serious degree covering the closest blood relationships such as father-daughter, mother-son and brother-sister, with the less-serious charge being pressed against more distantly-related individuals who engage in sexual intercourse, usually down to and including first cousins. Despite the strong stigma attached to incest, even the more serious charge is generally prosecuted as the least severely-punishable class of felony (in New York state; for example, the maximum penalty is four years in prison), and the less serious charge is usually only a misdemeanor (curiously, many incest laws do not expressly proscribe sexual conduct other than vaginal intercourse— such as oral sex— or, for that matter, any sexual activity between relatives of the same gender, so long as neither party is a minor). This legal position is in stark contrast with that in Australia, where incest is punishable by a maximum of 25 years imprisonment for the more serious form of penetrating a child (even if that child is over 18), and 5 years for the less serious charge of sexual penetration of a (half-)brother or (half-)sister.

Related Topics:
Felony - New York state - Misdemeanor - Oral sex

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Within the West, sexual relations between parents and their children, as well as those between brothers and sisters, are almost universally forbidden. In some instances, studies have found that among the small "village" mentality which promotes the culture of "individual privacy becomes everybody's business" under the guise of ignorance or lack of information, relations that have the appearance of inappropriateness are oftentimes encouraged if not enforceable.

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Incest is most frequently engaged in by parents of both sexes and their children. Incest is also an important part of sexual exploration by children, especially in families with children of the same age. A study by Floyd Martinson found that 10-15% of college students had had a childhood sexual experience with a brother or sister (see child sexuality).

Related Topics:
Floyd Martinson - Child sexuality

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The degree to which even the topic of incest is forbidden varies between societies. In the United States incest is rarely described in books or movies and then usually as a very traumatic and perverse experience (e.g. the 1994 film Spanking The Monkey in which mother-son incest takes place, leading to the latter's suicide attempt). Meanwhile in Japanese manga and anime the topic of incest is covered relatively often and in a more neutral and tolerant way; notable series dealing with incest between major characters (to wit, siblings; most often an older brother/younger sister pairing) include Koi Kaze, Marmalade Boy (between step-siblings), and Cream Lemon (which was one of the first and most notable hentai anime).

Related Topics:
Manga - Anime - Koi Kaze - Marmalade Boy - Cream Lemon - Hentai

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It is widely, but by no means universally, agreed that incest by parents is abuse and should be illegal. Some societies considered incest an inescapable fact of life. In many societies some forms of sexual contact between close family members is socially (and sometimes even publicly) encouraged.

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Finally, there is also the much rarer phenomenon of consensual incestuous relations between adults, such as between an adult brother and sister. This is illegal in most places, but these laws are sometimes questioned on the grounds that such relations do not harm other people (provided the couple have no children) and so should not be criminalized. Artificial insemination and open adoption have compounded these problems. Unreported incestuous relations may never be punished by law, however, the consequences of the behavior may by themselves be regarded as forms of punishment on the individual or individuals. In most cases, there is a distinct difference between incest and endogamy, relations within a group. An endogamous relationship may not necessarily mean incest is being practiced. In today's society, endogamy is practiced openly. Some may call it racism or snobbery, others may call it love.

Related Topics:
Artificial insemination - Adoption - Racism

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Proposals have been made from time to time to repeal these laws—for example, the proposal by the Australian Model Criminal Code Officer's Committee discussion paper "Sexual Offences against the Person" released in November 1996. (This particular proposal was later withdrawn by the committee, in spite of their own feelings on the issue, due to a large public outcry. Defenders of the proposal argue that the outcry was mostly based on the misunderstanding that the committee was intending to legalize sexual relations between parents and their minor children, which it did not.)

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