German Ethics Council says incest is a 'fundamental right'

German Ethics Council says incest is a 'fundamental right'
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A German committee has decided that while incest may be a "social taboo," it's also a "fundamental right" — one that shouldn't be regulated by the law.

"Criminal law is not the appropriate means to preserve a social taboo," the German Ethics Council, a government committee, said in a statement. "The fundamental right of adult siblings to sexual self-determination is to be weighed more heavily than the abstract idea of protection of the family." The council added that laws banning incest are an "unacceptable intrusion" into sexual rights, according to The Telegraph.

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Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.