Study Finds 7% of Child Deaths in England Involve Closely Related Parents
A groundbreaking study led by the University of Bristol has revealed that one in fourteen children who die in England have parents who are close blood relatives. The research, which analysed data from 13,045 child deaths recorded between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2023, found that 7% (926 children) were born to consanguineous parents.
Consistent Pattern of Mortality Linked to Genetic Factors
The pattern remained remarkably consistent across the four-year period, with 8% documented in 2019-20 and 7% in 2022-23. The data demonstrates that children with closely related parents died most frequently due to genetic issues including chromosomal abnormalities, genetic disorders, and congenital anomalies. In contrast, the most common cause of death for children with unrelated parents was perinatal or neonatal reasons.
Karen Luyt, director of the National Child Mortality Database study, stated: "This is the first analysis of its kind globally looking at consanguinity-related child deaths across a whole country and over multiple years. These findings are stark: 7% of child deaths over the period were of children born to consanguineous parents. These children might have died from any cause, but the data shows us very clearly that they are over-represented in mortality statistics. Action is urgently required to improve outcomes for this group."
Poverty Exacerbates Mortality Rates Across All Groups
Another significant aspect of the findings reveals that children in the poorest neighbourhoods contributed the highest number of deaths. This trend held true for both children with consanguineous and non-consanguineous parents. Luyt added: "In fact, this is a trend that we see across almost all causes of child death."
Political Response and Proposed Legislation
The study has intensified political debate about cousin marriages in the UK. Conservative MP Richard Holden has introduced a bill to ban first cousin marriages, which is currently at its second reading in the House of Commons.
Mr Holden told The Independent: "The findings of this report are deeply serious and deserve to be treated as such. There is clear, consistent medical evidence of elevated genetic risk associated with close-kin marriage. Government already legislates marriage in other close-relation contexts on safeguarding grounds, and they should legislate to cover that principle with first cousin marriage too. This evidence reinforces why I have introduced legislation to prohibit first-cousin marriage. Policy should always put the health and long-term wellbeing of children first."
Ethical Considerations and Medical Perspectives
Dominic Wilkinson, professor of medical ethics at Oxford University, offered a nuanced perspective: "This study highlights that there are a significant number, though by far a minority, of deaths where parents are related. The reason this occurs is because when parents are related there's an increased risk of serious genetic illness, which can in a small number of cases, sadly be life limiting."
However, Wilkinson pointed out that the study does not specifically refer to first cousin marriages, but rather all types of relatives. He added: "If you were to ban first cousin marriages, it wouldn't solve the problem that's in this report, because there are other degrees of relationship that also lead to serious genetic illness. If we're making policies that say we think you can have children and you can't have children because of your risk of genetic illness, then that is this old fashioned, morally troubling form of eugenics."
Wilkinson instead encouraged supporting parents so they can make informed choices about who they have children with and understand the elevated risks.
NHS Response and Pilot Programme
An NHS spokesperson responded to the findings: "This report provides further clear evidence on the increased risk of genetic conditions and serious illness that having closely related parents carries, and highlights a worrying number of deaths in more deprived areas. With hundreds of children losing their lives in recent years, the NHS is running a small pilot which will test whether nurses with specialist training in these complications could prevent the death of vulnerable babies, targeted in areas where close-relative marriage is prevalent."
The study represents a significant contribution to understanding child mortality patterns in England and has sparked important conversations about public health policy, genetic risks, and ethical considerations surrounding reproductive choices.
