Although incestuous marriages are illegal in the Philippines, there is no legislation prohibiting incestuous sexual acts outside of marriage between two consenting adults. [65] Consensual incest between adults is legal in the Netherlands. [27] Marriage between ancestors and descendants or between siblings is prohibited, although the Minister of Justice may grant an exemption by adoption in the case of siblings. Marriage between relatives by blood of the third and fourth degree is possible, but requires the signing of a declaration of consent by both partners. (Dutch Civil Law Book 1, Articles 41 and 42 [113]) Rep. Aaron Vega, 45, hopes to change that. He co-financed a law that prohibits sexual relations with the dead. His bill may have been inspired by a case in which three grave robbers were arrested for digging up a woman`s body. Their motive, they admitted to police, was to have sex with the woman`s body. [2] In the United States, there is a form of codified prohibition of incest in the District of Columbia and in every inhabited state and territory. In most states, sexual activity between a direct ancestor and a direct descendant (parent, grandparent with child or grandchild), siblings (brother-sister) and aunt-nephew, uncle-niece is punishable as incest. However, the laws vary considerably. Rhode Island repealed its Criminal Incest Act,[41] criminalizing only incestuous marriages.

[42] [43] Ohio «targets only parenting figures,»[41] and New Jersey does not impose penalties if both parties are 12 years of age or older. [27] [41] The harshest penalties for incest are found in Massachusetts, Virginia, Texas and Oregon, where incest is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, Georgia, where incest is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, Wisconsin, where incest is punishable by up to 40 years in prison, and the states of Colorado. Nevada, Montana, Idaho and Michigan, where a sentence of up to life in prison for incest can be imposed. Incest is only illegal in Italy if it causes a public scandal, is punishable under Article 564 of the Penal Code and is punishable by 2 to 8 years in prison, open to the elderly for more years if the other is a minor. [110] Most laws on the prohibited degree of kinship concern relationships of r = 25% or more, while most permit unions of individuals with r = 12.5% or less. In 24 states of the United States, marriages between cousins are prohibited. In addition, most laws do not provide for the rare case of marriage between double cousins of the first degree. Incest laws may also include prohibitions on ties between biologically unrelated persons if there is a close legal relationship, such as adoption or step-by-step relationships. Although most cultures condemn the act of marriage or sexual intercourse with a relative by blood, some societies have absolutely no concerns. In Spain and Russia, for example, consensual incest is completely legal, although laws prohibit them from marrying. In reality, each of these horrific acts is legal, even now, in different parts of the world.

We`re also not talking about dark, war-torn corners of the map. You`ll be surprised at what people in some countries can get away with. In countries such as Serbia and Slovenia, incest is illegal when it comes to consenting adults. In Israel, and many may not have known it, incest is actually legal for adults 21 and older, but it violates legal laws if one or both people are minors. That said, if you`re of legal age (21+) and decide to marry your siblings (21+), that`s okay! A famous case of judicial punishment of a U.S. citizen occurred when Michael P. Fay, then 19, was beaten for vandalism in Singapore. According to Fay, who received four blows from a rattan stick 1.3 centimeters thick (0.5 inches) on May 5, 1994, the instrument left «three dark brown scars on his right buttocks and four lines, each about half an inch wide, on his left buttocks.» Fay said prison officials heard him crying after the first blow: «I`m dying!» though he doesn`t remember making such a statement. Originally, Fay was sentenced to four months in prison and six strokes of the cane, but the number of lashes was reduced by two. Fay said his sentence lasted about a minute, after which he was able to leave. He couldn`t sit comfortably for a few days, he said, and his injuries hurt for five days, after which they began to heal.

In Spain, the Netherlands and Russia, consensual incest is completely legal. However, siblings are not allowed to marry, nor are half-siblings or a step-parent and stepchild. In Serbia, Lithuania and Slovenia, incest between an adult and a minor is illegal, but the law does not prohibit minors or adults from engaging in incest with partners of the same age group. Israel prohibits incest among minors, but declares it legal if both people are over 21. Perhaps the most unique incest laws come from Ireland and Germany, where language that prohibits incest specifically targets male-female mating — meaning incest remains legal for same-sex couples. It is also legal for people in the Netherlands, but they cannot marry. It is illegal for a man to have sex with his granddaughter, mother, daughter, sister or half-sister; and for a woman (over sixteen years old) with her grandfather, father, son, brother or half-brother. The law does not apply to other family relationships (such as relationships between grandchildren and grandmothers) or homosexual relationships. [107] Incest is not criminalized in Macau, but marriage is prohibited.

Incest is technically illegal, but charges can be dropped if all participants are under the age of 18. India does not define incest legally, so it is technically legal; However, it is considered sexual exploitation or rape and will be punished accordingly. Incest laws in the United States and Australia vary from state to state, but marriage is prohibited in Australia. The practice is also legal in Hungary, Finland, Mexico, and the states of Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. In Alabama, the 2014 law would have banned the law, but the governor vetoed it. [3] Other countries prohibit incest if the couple is of the opposite sex, but allow them to be of the same sex – including the Republic of Ireland. In all Australian states and territories except New South Wales, sexual intercourse between a direct ancestor and a direct descendant is incest. In New South Wales, incest involves «close family members» who are «parents, son, daughter, siblings (including half-brother or half-sister), grandparent or grandchild who have been such a family member since birth.» [139] In Queensland, illegal incest also includes sexual intercourse between an uncle or aunt and his niece or nephew, although its application here is limited by the effect of the Federal Marriage Act 1961, as the Queensland Penal Code states that the crime of incest does not apply to «persons who are legally married or who are entitled to: to be legally married.» Thus, it is not incest if a niece from the age of 16 has sexual intercourse with her uncle or a nephew from the age of 16 in order to have sexual intercourse with her aunt. The same principles apply in a homosexual context, as the Marriage Act allows same-sex marriage.

Although sexual relations between consenting siblings are banned in most countries, they have been decriminalized in France, Spain and Portugal. The laws of these countries prohibit the persecution of parents, grandparents and siblings, provided they have reached the legal age and have accepted the law. In most countries of the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, and Greece, the term incest is not only taboo, but has been criminalized. The act is strictly prohibited, and people who engage in incest could go to jail for it. The map, created on mapchart.net and shared on Reddit, uses a color code to indicate where incest is illegal or not. Sibling marriage and marriage out of aversion are prohibited, while marriage between cousins is legal. [72] Marriage between parents and children is also prohibited, even if there is no consanguinity, i.e. adoptive parent or in-laws. [72] In Finland, sexual acts between siblings (but not half-siblings), ancestors, or descendants are punishable by a fine or up to two years in prison for «sexual acts between close relatives.» However, a person under the age of 18 will not be punished if he or she engages in a sexual act with a parent or grandparent, or if he or she has been coerced or unlawfully persuaded to do so.

[90] The Marriage Act states that marriage between siblings, half-siblings, ancestors or descendants is prohibited. [91] When this law was drafted, same-sex relations were generally illegal. For this reason, it may not have been deemed necessary. Prior to 2007, incest was a common law offence that extended to the same degree of relationship, but applied only to vaginal intercourse. [29] In Greece, incest is illegal for adults, but there is no law prohibiting minors from engaging in incest.