Swiss Consider Legalizing Incest

Not a bad idea, says Columbia prof's lawyer
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 16, 2010 3:51 AM CST
Swiss Debate Legalizing Incest
If the Swiss parliament approves the measure, it will be put to a nationwide vote.   (?Flooffy)

The Swiss parliament has drafted a law that would allow parents to have sex with their children or siblings to have sex with each other, provided everybody involved is a consenting adult. "First-degree" incest is already legal in countries including France and Russia, but the Swiss measure hasn't won widespread support, with conservative lawmakers labeling it "completely repugnant," and polls showing a clear majority of the public in opposition.

A lawyer for David Epstein, the Columbia University professor accused of having an incestuous relationship with his adult daughter, says that while people are right to be morally opposed to incest, the Swiss bill to tolerate "what goes on privately in bedrooms" has merit. "It's OK for homosexuals to do whatever they want in their own home," he tells ABC News. "How is this so different? We have to figure out why some behavior is tolerated and some is not." (More David Epstein stories.)

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