DeSantis Advocates for Ban on Cousin Marriages in Florida

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has positioned himself as a leader among conservative states. However, he admitted on Monday that Florida lacks a ban on first-cousin marriages and expressed a desire for this to change soon.

“Florida doesn’t ban marriage between cousins. That’s a hard curveball for us. We need to do that,” DeSantis remarked at a signing event for another law that empowers state officials to designate groups as terrorist organizations and expel students who support them. He made these comments while in Tampa.

DeSantis encouraged the state Legislature to take action against cousin marriages, bringing the topic back into public discourse. Despite being legal in Florida, such marriages are prohibited in many other states.

“Other states are doing that,” he added. “I don’t know why they wouldn’t do it, but when you allow something like that, obviously it feeds into some of the stealth crusades that we’re seeing. That’s coming in from other cultures that don’t align with American culture and certainly our culture here in Florida.”

Currently, Florida prohibits marriages between close relatives like siblings, parents, and grandparents, but not cousins. The governor’s initiative follows the unsuccessful HB 733, a proposal that aimed to add cousins to the ban starting July 1. Advocates of the ban often cite public health concerns regarding genetic diseases, while opponents argue it’s a matter of personal freedom.

Last month, DeSantis hinted that future efforts regarding the cousin marriage ban were possible. “For some reason, the ban on first-cousin marriages was dropped in the legislative process. Take note,” he commented on social media.

This legislative session marks DeSantis’ final term as governor, concluding at the year’s end. Still, he may push for a special session to reintroduce the cousin marriage initiative, or something similar. “Now, there were some things in this package that we may need to add down the road,” he mentioned, emphasizing its importance for American culture and immigration policy.

In his broader arguments, DeSantis claimed that the U.S. must stop importing individuals who don’t align with American values, noting past issues with the system. He referenced the recent arrests of relatives of the late Iranian military official Qasem Soleimani as a point of concern regarding immigration oversight.

The newly signed law gives Florida’s secretary of internal security, the governor, and the Cabinet the power to designate any organization as involved in extremism as a “terrorist organization.” Once designated, these organizations could be forcibly disbanded and have their state funds frozen. Moreover, students could face expulsion for supporting such organizations.