Shocking proposal from Germany: decriminalizing consensual incest. The request was made by the German Ethics Council, governing body with advisory powers but not decision-making. A vote for change (as reported by La Repubblica) were 14 members against nine opening, so a discussion on the reform of art. 173 of the Penal Code. According to the favorable if the intercourse between relatives is wanted by both and there is love then it should not constitute a crime (for which today are foreseen 12 years imprisonment).
On the thorniest issue ( the risk of birth defects in children born from incest) experts have said that the issue should be addressed in counseling and not in police interviews. The idea has split the country, the CDU’s Angela Merkel has called “Scandalous and immoral.” No opening has reached even by the Social Democrats. Yet the ethical council says it wants to protect the right to fall in love and to procreate, pointing out that in countries such as France and Spain the relationships between blood relatives are not prosecuted.
And yet the risks related to them exist. No one can question the personal inclinations. Maybe 12 years in prison are so many conscientious but a state has a duty to put a stop to trends whose consequences do not affect much on who puts them into being. But the prospects of life and health of the children that are the result of these relationships.
