This is an interesting question. My own personal opinion would be no. Chances are, they grew up together, like any normal brother and sister. Although they're related by marriage and not by blood, it doesn't particularly count as incest, but it makes for some confusion for their own children when/if they learn the truth about their parents.

Actually, this is a similar scenario as in the book Flowers in the Attic, by V.C. Andrews. In said book, the mother of the children who the book is based upon was married to her uncle by marriage. When said thing happened, the kids lives pretty much turned into hell because of it. Good read, you should buy it if you haven't.

But to put it simply... no it's yucky.

I watched Stepkids in Love. In all of the cases they covered the stepkids met each other whilst they were teenagers or older. I see absolutely no problem with that, they have no relation and weren't raised together as family members.

Well, they're not related by blood, so their kids are hardly gonna be genetic mutants or something.

You can't stop people falling in love.

Well, they're not related by blood, so their kids are hardly gonna be genetic mutants or something.
A single instance of inbreeding is statistically very unlikely to result in a flawed individual anyways. What's your point?

In principal, I am perfectly alright with the idea, it's very disturbing in the family sense of the word, but from the outside there should be absoloutely no objections between two people who aren't biologically related, being in a relationship. If they're willing to do so with or without their families' permission, then all the power to them.

On a personal note, it creeps me out, pretty badly. I have a tiny bit of experience in that department...

My second step-family was where dad was having an affair with our downstairs neighbour, the mother of one of my two close friends.

Close female friends.

Long story short, we were good friends and there was a minor element of crush when she was 12 and I was 14/15. It absoloutely SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME that this carried on in some respects when she was 15.

I mean, thankfully neither parent noticed or creditted it to anything, but I doubt they would have been impressed with some of the stuff she was doing. It's an interesting thing that the moment that our parents got together any interest I may have at any time have had in her died INSTANTLY to the point where she terrified me.

I suppose that's a bit off topic, but, I find that it's just the same as any relationship, it's just a bit more edgy than most and takes place in the same roof both parties sleep at night.

To be honest, if I were a parent and knew my kid and step-kid could be "going at it" at any given time, in the house, I'd be pretty dang verbal in my disapproval of the situation.

But, again, as an outsider, I cannot condem. Love is love is love. As long as it's mutual, it's ok.

If you go by the statistics inbreeding is LESS likely to produce birth defects. But then again who the crap listens to statistics save people that already agree with them.

Personally? It's not hurting anyone, its not my business, I don't care.

~Rico

If you go by the statistics inbreeding is LESS likely to produce birth defects.
Eh, I dunno about that. The Intertron says that that "an inbred individual is likely to possess several physical and health defects, in addition to higher incidence of inheriting a poor trait. They include reduced fertility both in litter size and in sperm viability, increased congenital defects, fluctuating facial asymmetry, lower birth rate, higher neo-natal mortality, slower growth rate, smaller adult size, and loss of immune system function." This assumes, of course, that said individual is a few generations of inbreeding down the line.

Inbreeding is still really creepy either way.

Stepbrother and stepsister doing the nasty, not so bad. Brother and sister who came out of the same woman and grew up together doing the nasty... really bad. And kind of sickening to think about.

Since they aren't of the same blood, whats the problem? It's love, and you can't stop it. ^^ Nothing else I can realy say in support of approval side that hasn't been said.

~T2K

Wow, if it causes all that why do cat, dog, and livestock breeders do it? I never did understand why for one species its good but for another its bad, I figured it was just a religious thing like it is with gays. I know adult TOLD me if lead to that but I see about 50/50 on statisics, but like those are all skewed one way or another.

Can you tell I slept through biology? And got a B while doing it. XD

Personally, no I don't approve of it, no good reason though. Would I can if someone did it? Probably not, not my business.

~Rico (Is a professional Chocobo inbreeding)

I wonder how you can tell when things like hamsters are mentally retarded... oO

Quote:

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Wow, if it causes all that why do cat, dog, and livestock breeders do it?

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Because cats, dogs and livestock are not human beings.

The defects (from what I've read) seem to do more with genetic diseases than they do someone being born with 12 toes.

So it does affect different species different? I told you I slept through biology.

~Rico

As I understand it, all mammals, even cats and dogs, appear to have built-in systems to prevent inbreeding. For example, male lions are usually ejected from the pack when they reach puberty.

Yeah, here it is:
Mammals, most other animals, and higher plants as well, have evolved mechanisms to avoid inbreeding of any sort. Some, like sweet cherries, have even evolved elaborate biochemical mechanism to ensure that their flowers can not be fertilized by themselves or by very genetically similar individuals.

Where a species is threatened by extinction, the population may fall below a minimum whereby the forced interbreeding between the remaining animals will result in extinction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inbreeding

In principle, if the step-kids love each other, then I don't see too much reason to stop them getting married. However, there are still complications, such as the views of their family, and them probably seeing it as somewhat creepy - as Craig has suggested. Also, if they have grown up together, and they're still relatively young, it is more likely to be a case of mixed-up feelings being mistaken for love, so caution would be advised as well.

Personally, I'm dubious as to how good an idea marrying a step-sibling would be, but I can't think of much solid reasoning to say why it shouldn't be allowed.

w00t I gained 40 biology experience points!

~Rico

w00t I gained 40 biology experience points!

Only 960 more and you will LEVEL UP!

Anyway, that animal inbreeding thing is... interesting. Never knew any of that. That might be because I sleep in class.

I couldn't care less about that really. It's people who aren't me falling in love and having sex. Yay? Should I be watching them do it or something? o.O Because I haven't been.

Yeah, what would really suck is if they were in love before their parents decided to marry. I mean, if thats the case then i think that the children should have the choice. I mean, if the parents were stupid enough to divorce then thats their fault, they shouldnt have made the choice to get married to someone they didnt love. However, if one parrent died, then it might be different.

You know, its a hard thing to decide upon. too bad there isnt a way to truely tell who is more in love, the kids or the parents.