DNA analysis unveils alarming rates of incest in the United States
Ancestry is typically determined by DNA testing. However, it has shown a troubling trend in the US: a much higher prevalence of incest than most people realise.
Numerous cases of infants born to close biological relatives have been discovered by widespread DNA testing, offering an unprecedented account of incest in society.
A research published in a psychiatry text book in 1975 put the rate of children born of incest at one in a million. But according to recent studies, the number has reached one in 7,000.
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In a shocking case reported by CNN, Victoria Hill, a 39-year-old discovered through a DNA test that her ex-boyfriend from high school was in fact, her biological brother. This revelation came to light at a high school reunion where both decided to explore their ancestry through genetic testing.
The man also chose to take the test since he was shocked to see that their familial makeup was comparable. Then Hill got a text message confirming her worst fear- she was, in fact, his sister. She didn’t have her biological father, either.
This caused trauma to me. “Now that I’m seeing images of people, I’m thinking that anyone could be my sibling,” she told CNN.
Hill later got to know that she had many more siblings that just the brother she grew up with – 22.
“I have slept with my half-sibling. I went to elementary school with another,” said Hill.
CNN highlighted her case to uncover something called an accidental incest, which proliferated due to lack of regulations.
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These situations arose as a result of sperm donations made by some individuals to aid in female fertility.
The incident of Dr. Donald Cline, who fathered at least ninety children in Indiana, was the one that really brought fertility fraud to the attention of the public.
It is worth mentioning that babies born as a result of incest are at an increased risk of having birth defects and genetic disorders.
