The United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) is facing criticism after publishing, and then removing, a report that raised questions about whether first-cousin marriages should be banned.

The report, which appeared last week on the NHS Genomics Education Program’s website, addressed the health risks and cultural considerations surrounding the practice but was taken down by Monday morning.

UK National Health Service (NHS) publishes guidance listing the benefits of COUSIN MARRIAGE.

The guidance claims cousin marriage has benefits including “stronger extended family support systems and economic advantages.”

It also claims banning the practice would “stigmatize… pic.twitter.com/TfLzlN9nHc

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Debate on the issue intensified earlier this year when Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government would not seek to ban first-cousin marriages outright.

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Starmer, who leads the Labour government, argued that education was a more appropriate approach than imposing prohibitions.

He emphasized that families should be better informed about the potential risks rather than subjected to new government mandates.

Medical experts have long recognized that children born to first cousins are at higher risk of genetic conditions such as sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis.

U.K.’S NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE REMOVES REPORT ON “BENEFITS” OF FIRST-COUSIN MARRIAGES @DouglasKMurray: “The likelihood of a child having birth defects more than doubles if they are the child of a cousin marriage. And you would have thought that was the sort of thing that the… pic.twitter.com/n3wDRgHrJJ

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Despite these concerns, first-cousin marriages remain legal in the U.K. and have been since the 1500s, when King Henry VIII married Catherine Howard, the cousin of his former wife.

In the United States, the practice is still permitted in 20 states.

According to reports in British media outlets, the NHS article noted potential “benefits” of first-cousin marriages, including stronger extended family support systems and possible economic advantages.

The report also stated that while inter-family marriages increase the likelihood of inherited diseases, the overall risk is relatively small.

“In the general population, a child’s chance of being born with a genetic condition is around two to three percent; this increases to four to six percent in children of first cousins. Hence, most children of first cousins are healthy,” the article said, according to the Daily Mail.

The article further compared first-cousin marriages to other health risks, noting that genetic disorders can also result from factors such as alcohol use during pregnancy, smoking, and parental age.

It emphasized that none of these behaviors are banned in the U.K. “Genetic counseling, awareness-raising initiatives and public health campaigns are all important tools to help families make informed decisions without stigmatizing certain communities and cultural traditions,” the report added, as cited by the Telegraph.

Conservative lawmakers reacted strongly to the NHS posting.

Richard Holden, a Member of Parliament, criticized the Labour government for what he described as catering to cultural sensitivities at the expense of public health.

“The Conservatives want to see an end to cousin marriage as a backdoor to immigration too, but Labour are deaf to these sensible demands,” Holden told the Daily Mail.

Claire Coutinho, another Conservative MP, voiced her concerns on X. “The NHS puts conditions on IVF by age, BMI and history of conception. The NHS tells you (a lot) not to smoke or drink during pregnancy. But the NHS won’t say a word against cousin marriage,” she wrote on Monday.

The controversy has drawn further attention to the position of Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who oversees the NHS. Streeting did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions regarding the article or its removal.

The issue has created a clear divide between political parties. Conservative Tories have called for stronger action to end the practice, while Labour officials have warned that a ban could unfairly target communities, such as British Pakistanis, where cousin marriages are more common.

The matter continues to fuel debate about the balance between cultural practices and public health in the United Kingdom.